Flower in the Darkness
by ScarletFox Industries
Summary: Lord Hades, ruler of the dark and dismal Underworld, is tired of spending his days alone. When his eyes fall on the young Spring Goddess Persephone, he makes a plan to abduct her and make her his wife. Persephone isn't too happy about that, of course, but will he be able to win her heart nonetheless?
1. Prologue

**Alright, time for a new story! I've always been interested in Greek Mythology and finally decided to write my own take on the Hades and Persephone myth. I try to stick with the original Homerian version, meaning that I will start with Persephone's back story as a prologue. I know that it might be a bit rushed first, but that's just because I didn't want to waste too much time and go straight to the main plot.**

 **Persephone goes by the name 'Kore' as well, so I decided to just let her mother and Godesses like Hestia call her like that. I'll always call her Persephone, so don't be confused. Also, English is not my first language, so there might be mistakes inside.**

 **Please review, I'd love to hear your opinion!**

 _ **Prologue**_  
It had been a dark, stormy night when Persephone had been born. Her mother Demeter had thought of it as a bad omen, considering the circumstances of her conception and her insolent producer.  
A look at the tiny, rosy baby in her arms had been enough for Demeter to be sure that she would hide her little girl from the world. She was too pure, too sweet to ever interfere with her calloused family, a bunch of drinkers and whores. Still it was tradition to introduce new Gods and Goddesses to the Olympus, to allow the other Gods to gift them. Demeter tapped her chin while rocking her baby with the other arm. She couldn't deny her little girl such a blessing, but at the same time she feared the bad influence they might have on her. Well then, it would be the middle way. She would have a little party at home, she lived far away from the Olympus in a cozy old farm house surrounded by meadows and fields, and invite the members of her family she considered at least half decent. Athena, Hestia and Artemis, the eternal virgins who had sworn to never be with men? Perfect. Hephaestus, God of fire and crafting? Maybe. He wasn't known for having too many parties, after all. Aphrodite, the goddess of love? Surely not. And then there was him. The _father_ , as you might consider him. Zeus. She would rather let all humankind starve than invite him to the party for her sweet daughter. He knew that she had been pregnant, of course, but she would not lower herself so much and have him here, no matter what gifts he might bring.  
Demeter smiled down at the girl in her arms and stroked her cheek. The baby giggled and stretched her right palm towards her mother when a tiny flower appeared in it. The Goddess of Harvest let out a surprised gasp.  
"Oh my sweet girl, you must be the Goddess of Flowers...I shall call you Kore then, the maiden. For that you will be. Always."

Demeter watched Persephone's crib when the first guest arrived. Flowers were adorning the crib, with beautiful petals in all imaginable colours. It was Persephone's work, she was an extremely talented little girl indeed and her mother's whole pride. Hestia entered the room, smiling at the sight.  
"Oh what a cute little girl you have there! Well, well, I will gift her with a home that she will always come back to, a warm fire in the hearth that will gladly welcome her whenever she gets home."  
Demeter smiled at that gift, being sure that this fire could only be the one at her own home and it helped her to relax. Persephone was her little girl and she would always stay with her mommy, with no man ever standing between them. At least she was sure of that.  
The other guests arrived and each god had a special present prepared for the girl. Athena gave her wisdom to always see the important things in life, Artemis promised her good night sight. Demeter wasn't exactly sure how this would benefit a Spring Goddess, but it was a lot better than any present Persephone would have gotten from the other Gods. Just imagine Aphrodite gifting her with a lively love life! No, no, she knew exactly why she had carefully chosen the guests.

They were chatting and laughing, eating ambrosia and amusing Persephone with little rattles, when a thunder started to roar outside. The door was ripped open and hit the wall with a loud pang and in the door frame was _him_ , looking as majestic as ever. His dark blonde hair was combed back, he was dressed in a white chiton with gold embroidery and his beard was neatly trimmed. His eyes were piercing, though. Usually the grey orbs were sparkling with amusement and arrogance, he always looked as if the whole world was his playground alone – which it kinda was. Today they were different, though. Full of anger, they stared at Demeter and then at the tiny Persephone in her bed.  
"So. I have a daughter. And you didn't even bother inviting me and introducing me to her? Her _father_?"  
He barely controlled his voice, in fact he nearly yelled. Little Persephone started crying in her bed. Demeter lifted her head, arrogantly staring at the King of Gods.  
"You have no saying in this, Zeus. She is _my_ daughter and _I_ decide whom I want around her. I surely don't want your bad influence on her."  
Zeus grinned in a very cold way, went to the bed and lifted Persephone up before anyone could interfere. The little girl started to cry.  
"No? Then let me tell you something, little sister. She is _my_ daughter too and I'm your king. I do whatever I want and you can't stop me. I could have blessed our little girl with the greatest things, but now you have drawn my wrath onto both of you. You made your decision, now it's my turn. And I am a patient man. I will leave you be. But know that some day I will return and have my revenge. You made a big mistake, my dear."  
His voice dropped with sarcasm when he used the pet name. He put Persephone, who was still crying, back to her bed and with a snip of his fingers he left. Silence fell over the room, suddenly no one wanted to party anymore. Demeter slowly shook her head, but knew she had lost. No matter what she might try, Zeus was stronger than her. She could just keep her daughter as close as possible and hope for the best.

The years passed and Persephone grew up to be a beautiful young woman. Demeter kept her under her protection all the time, she would never leave her daughter alone. They would sleep in one bed at night so she could be sure that no man would try to sneak into her room at night. When Demeter had to go to work and make the plants grow for the humans, she would either take Persephone with her or leave her with a bunch of nymphs. Persephone never had privacy for herself. She never knew anyone that wasn't her mother or those stupid, giggly nymphs.  
One morning Demeter dressed in more elegant clothes than usual, wearing a displeased expression on her face.  
"What is it, mother?", her daughter asked innocently while combing her long, brown her. Brown as the soil, brown as the trees.  
"Ah, it's nothing bad, my dear. It's summer solstice, though, and I was ordered to come to the Olympus for a meeting."  
"Isn't that interesting? I'd love to be there too, I'm so b-"  
"No!", Demeter interrupted her daughter harshly.  
"You shall not come with me! You will be a good girl and stay here with the nymphs. The Olympus isn't the right place for a sweet and innocent girl like you. It's full of indecent people who drink, party and...entertain themselves in other sinful ways."  
"Is my father on the Olympus too?"  
"Kore! I thought I forbid you to ask about him. He shall not be of your concern."  
"But mother! I don't even know who he is...is he a mighty God? Maybe Apollo or Ares? Does he look like me?"  
"I will not answer your questions, and it's better that way. Your father hurt me in a way no woman should ever experience and he cursed you after you were born. He is an evil, horrible man and lost every right to meet you long, long ago. So do me a favour and don't ask about him. Stay here and behave, I will be back tomorrow evening. I made sure that the nymphs will stay with you all the time so that you won't be lonely."  
 _Rather so that you can control me all the time_ , Persephone thought grumpily, but nodded with a low sigh. Demeter finished dressing and gave her a sweet kiss before disappearing to the Olympus. She had a bad feeling about this. There was a reason why she never left Persephone alone, after all. Gods, ha! They were supposed to be generous and caring, but in reality they were just a bunch of horny idiots who only ever cared about themselves. Zeus, honoured as the king and God of storms, was a narcissistic rapist with over hundred children, only few of them conceived willingly. Hera, the Goddess of marriage and family, had thrown her son down on the Earth because she thought he was ugly. And the story went on and on.  
Many different gods greeted her when she arrived at the Olympus, she barely ever visited, after all. She ignored all questions about her daughter and stopped to chat with Artemis, one of the few goddesses she actually liked.

Persephone sighed and sat in the room she shared with her mother, surrounded by a bunch of giggly young girls who were busy braiding flowers into their hair. Her mother had _locked her in_ , so she couldn't even enjoy the company of her flowers outside. She sighed and continued stitching tiny roses onto white fabric that should be a new dress for her later. She was so bored. If she was just allowed to go outside, to...  
Suddenly there was a low creak and the door opened. Persephone frowned.  
"Mother? Why are you back so soon?"  
"No, I'm not your mother", a dark voice said back and caused her to look up. A tall man with blonde hair was standing in the door frame. The nymphs jumped up and screamed, but a snip of the man's finger caused them to explode in a pile of dust.  
"So, my dear Kore, now I finally get to meet you again. Although I personally think this name never fit you. You were destined to be named Persephone and I shall call you that", the man said and got nearer, smiling. Persephone stumbled back until her back met the wall.  
"W-Who are you?"  
"Ah, I should have known that your mother wouldn't tell you about me. I'm Zeus, king of all Gods and the God of thunder. And your father."  
Persephone gasped, but smiled.  
"You came to meet me? I thank you, father. Mother never told me who you were. I can't believe that I finally get to meet you!"  
Zeus smiled and gently stroked her head.  
"Ah, yes, your mother. She still hates me. But that doesn't matter now as she isn't here and we can finally enjoy each other's company. I can't believe that you have grown to be such a beautiful young woman."  
His gaze wandered over Persephone's features, which made her feel slightly uncomfortable. But he was her father, she didn't need to afraid, right?  
"So, my dear daughter...I have waited for this day quite long, you know? Demeter hid you from me all the time, but I waited patiently. I knew that one day she would feel too safe and move away from you..."  
Persephone froze in shock and moved back again.  
"Dad...? What is this about...?"  
Zeus grinned.  
"Ah, you'll see soon enough. Now sleep my princess, sleep."  
With a snap of his finger, Persephone collapsed onto the ground, deeply asleep from one second to another. Another snap and his own figure changed. His clothes suddenly got too big for him and fell to the ground, where a giant snail emerged from them. It was as thick as a young tree and five metres long. The snake lifted it's head, the split tongue coming out of it's mouth and tasting the air. Tasting Persephone's scent. It slowly crawled closer to the sleeping girl and slid under her dress.

Demeter had had a bad feeling all along. She tried to convince herself that her paranoia had reached a new peak, but the bad feeling simply wouldn't fade. She forced herself to relax when the Gods entered the throne room and each of them sat down at their personal throne. Her own one was made of braided spike trisetum, adorned with fruits and vegetables. She looked around. Everyone was there. No. Nearly everyone. Zeus was missing.  
That's when she knew it. It had been a great, great mistake to come here today. She jumped up, everyone staring at her.  
"No! My daughter! She is in danger!"  
Hera frowned.  
"Your daughter? Surely not, why would she?"  
"Your husband! He's with her, I know it. _Your husband_!"  
Within a second she disappeared, leaving the smell of ripe wheat. The other gods followed and they all arrived at Demeter's house within seconds.

Persephone was still lying on the ground, slowly awakening. Her body hurt. She had a headache and felt a confusing pain at a certain part of her body she didn't even dare to name. Eleven Olympic Gods had gathered in the room, looking at her curiously. But that wasn't what confused her the most. A big snake had rolled up next to her, covered in blood and looking very satisfied with itself. The second everyone noticed the snake, it disappeared with a low sound.  
"Kore! Oh my Kore, what did he do to you?!", her mother cried out.  
Persephone sat up slowly, wincing at the pain that washed through her body.  
"What...", she muttered lowly. She remembered her father visiting her and then...she just fell asleep?  
"Go! All of you, go! Leave me and my daughter alone!", Demeter yelled at the other Olympians who slowly disappeared one after another. She hurried over to her daughter and lifted her up from the ground to carry her to her bed.  
"Mother? What happened?"  
"I'm so very sorry, my dear. Now you know why I tried my best to shield you from your father, but I failed. I'm so sorry, my dear, mommy failed. I couldn't protect my sweet little girl!"  
She cried as she sat down on the rim of the bed, holding Persephone's pale hand.  
"Mother! What even happened? What about that snake?"  
Demeter bit her lip.  
"There are some things I didn't tell you until now, my sweet. Things about men and women. And it seems like I should do that now..."

Persephone looked at her mother with a light frown, when she started to explain  
"You see, your father Zeus did the same to me. He didn't use the appearance of a snake for it, but that's how I got pregnant with you...he is an evil man, my love. He has forced himself onto hundreds, maybe thousands of women. When you were born, he promised that his wrath was upon both of us, but I never thought that he would..."  
"But...why did he turn himself into a snake?"  
"I don't know. He likes transforming into animals. He used the appearance of a swan when he...interacted with Leda. She later gave birth to Helena. Just be glad that he made you sleep."  
Persephone nodded slowly, silently staring at the blanket that covered her slim body. She felt cold. And hurt. Reality was slowly sinking into her mind and the sudden realization of what had happened to her made her feel sick, disgusted of her body. Zeus was her father! How could he ever do such a horrible thing?!  
As the weeks passed, Persephone's body started to heal. But not her mind. She had nightmares at night, awoke screaming and crying. Nightmares of her father whispering to her from the darkness. Nightmares of a giant snake swallowing her whole. Nightmares of what might have happened while she had been asleep.  
At the same time she started to see some...changes. She had always been a small and slender girl, but out of the sudden she started to gain weight. The change scared her, but she was too afraid to talk to her mother about it. Ever since the _happening_ – she had decided to call the meeting with Zeus like that – she had started to get informed about things. Her mother was still locking her away and kept her from the eyes of the world, but she couldn't deny a young goddess knowledge. At least not when the young goddess had the ability to make books appear just like that (as the paper was made from trees, she had some kind of connection to them). Persephone knew how to read the signs. She knew what it meant that she was gaining weight and that her monthly bleeding had stopped.  
Demeter acted as if she didn't notice the fact that her daughter was pregnant. She decided to just ignore it and act as if everything was fine, as if the _happening_ had never...well, happened. She didn't know if Persephone was aware of her situation and if, what she thought about it. When she had found out that she was pregnant herself many hears ago, she had been as happy as maybe never before. She hated what Zeus did to her, but the thought of having a baby had delighted her, no matter the circumstances.

Several months later, Persephone gave birth to a baby boy. It was tougher than she would have expected, maybe because she was still young and had a small pelvis. She had suffered for hours, panting and sweating, until it was finally over. She stared at the tiny baby in her arms. It was somewhat ugly. Demeter ran around and prepared something to drink and eat for her, absolutely delight about her grandson. Persephone tried to find anything beautiful about the baby, but she simply couldn't. She never wanted this baby, it hadn't been her own choice. She didn't _love_ this baby. Sighing, she pulled the little boy closer to breastfeed him, feeling guilty inside. No matter what, it wasn't the baby's fault that it had been born. It did nothing to deserve being loathed by it's mother. The young girl carefully stroked the dark hair on the baby's head. She decided to give her best to love him. Or at least act like it.  
"Well, then. If we are stuck with each other anyway, you need a name. I shall call you Zagreus. And I promise you to give my best for you."  
Little did she know that she wouldn't have much time to do so.

"Now, now, what do we have here?", a certain male voice said. It hunted shivers down Persephone's spine and made the fear wash through her again. Demeter shrieked and grabbed a broom from the corner of her house, trying to slap Zeus with it.  
"My dear, Demeter, you know that this is ridiculous. Sit down, I have something to tell."  
A chair appeared all of the sudden and Demeter was forced to sit down when it crashed into the back of her knees. Golden ropes wrapped around her wrists and kept her on the chair.  
"Now, that's better. So. I didn't even know you were expecting, my sweet Persephone. The last part of 'Kore' in you has vanished as you aren't a maiden anymore. Your mother did her best to hide that fact though, mh? But anyway, I don't care about that name. I care about my son, though. Zagreus is his name? I like that."  
Persephone glared at him, hugging her baby closer to herself. She didn't dare say anything, though, too scared of what might come.  
"Leave us alone, you already cause enough trouble!", Demeter said angrily. A gag appeared in her mouth when Zeus stared at her.  
"As I said, I came because of Zagreus. It's been a while since I had such a handsome son. Hand him over."  
"What? No", Persephone exclaimed, her eyes wide of fear now.  
"No? You don't seem to understand, Persephone. I intend this to be of benefit for both of us. A...win-win situation. I can read your feelings, my sweet daughter. I know that you don't want the baby, although you try to hide that. So this is my offer to you: give me the baby and I will make sure that Zagreus will be well cared about. I can't have him on the Olympus as my wife hates all of my children, but I will hide him. I promise you that he will get everything he needs."  
Persephone hesitated. This sounded like a good offer indeed...  
"Why do you want him so badly?"  
"As I said, it's been so long since I last had a son."  
"But I don't trust your word. Why would I? After everything you did to me..."  
"Ah, I have an easy solution for that. You know that swearing on the river Styx binds you to your word, even as a God. I swear to the river Styx that I will do everything to keep Zagreus from harm. I will give him the best nannies and provide him with everything he needs. How does that sound to you?"  
Demeter on her chair tried to say something, but due to her gag she only managed to do mh-mh sounds. Persephone looked at her, then down at her baby. It was true, she didn't want a son. And Zeus was right, his vow was binding. She hated her father, but it would be the best for her child...rather live with a father who cares for you than with a mother who doesn't love you, right?  
"Okay", she said after a few seconds, touching Zagreus' tiny hand.  
"I agree to the deal. But if I ever hear that you didn't treat him well..."  
"Don't worry, this will not happen."  
"Good. But I...I have another condition. Never...never t-touch my mother or me again. Swear it."  
Her lips were trembling, but she forced her voice to be firm. Zeus pouted, what made him look like a little boy.  
"Fine, fine. I swear it on the river Styx."  
Persephone nodded and handed over her baby. She really hoped she was doing the right thing. She watched how Zeus disappeared and Demeter got free again.  
"Kore! What did you do?!", her mother yelled at her.  
Persephone stared back, her eyes tired and old.  
"I did what was best, mother. Now we can pretend like this all never happened. The other gods don't need to know that I was pregnant at all. We can pretend that nothing changed at all. I can still go by the name Kore."  
Demeter stared at her for a while before nodding slowly.  
"Yes...maybe you are right. Now you are my sweet Kore again. No pregnancy, no baby. You are just my little Kore."

 **I hope you liked the prologue, I'll publish the first real chapter soon!**


	2. Chapter One

**Thanks to everyone who read the prologue! I know it was rushed and maybe a bit cringy, but the next chapter will be better, I promise it.**

 _ **Chapter One**_  
The years passed and Persephone never met her son again. Zeus offered her to meet him, but she didn't want to. At the beginning she felt guilty because of that, but he was well cared for, after all. She honestly just wanted to forget about that chapter of her life; and she succeeded in doing so. She of course couldn't really forget what had happened to her, but she banned those thoughts to the very back of her mind until she could finally live normally again. She would play with the nymphs again and be the innocent maiden, like her name indicated it.  
Zeus did indeed care well about his son. He hid him in a cave, guarded by monsters, and would visit him every now and then. A few years later Hera found him, though. She hated every single one of Zeus children, unless she was the mother. Well okay, she hated one of her own children too, Hephaestus. Hera engaged a few titans to take care of that business. They went to the cave and killed Zagreus. Zeus never told Persephone about that and the fact that she wasn't interested in having any kind of contact to her son made it even easier for him.

Persephone had become a lot more careful after the _happening_ , but after a few years she slowly relaxed. Everything that had happened started to feel surreal to her, like a bad dream, and that made it easier for her to cope with everything. She went out to the meadows again and played with the nymphs. She even went back to the point where she was bored of her peaceful life. The saying that time heals all wounds was true indeed.  
Demeter went back to being all overprotective about her daughter, she wouldn't leave her alone again. Persephone was sometimes annoyed because of that and complained, like she used to do earlier, but they never talked about the _happening_ again.

One day it was pretty much the same situation as...what, four? Five? years ago. Persephone didn't count the years, she had stopped ageing at the age of around twenty either way, so time didn't matter to her. Demeter was invited to the Olympus and decided to go as she couldn't neglect her duties all the time.  
"Mother?", Persephone asked carefully.  
"Can I maybe...join you? I'm an adult now. I want to meet more members of my family."  
Demeter stared at her daughter, deep in thoughts. She wanted to say that Kore should remember the last time she met someone of her family, but she had sworn herself to never remind her daughter of that. And maybe the idea wasn't _that_ bad? Zeus, the biggest danger, couldn't touch them anymore, due to his vow. The other gods behaved more or less, at least they weren't as tricky as Zeus. She could leave Persephone with the virgin goddesses and make sure she wouldn't meet Aphrodite. Demeter pursed her lips before nodding slowly.  
"Yes. I will take you with me. _But_ you need to promise me to never walk around alone. You must stay with Hestia or Artemis or any other goddess I trust. Is that clear?"  
Persephone beamed.  
"Yes! Thank you, mother! I will do exactly as you tell me to do, I promise it! Give me a few minutes to pack my things!"  
Persephone whirled around and rushed off to pack her things. Demeter smiled slightly. Her daughter was so precious to her, but she had to admit that she couldn't keep her locked in forever – although she would love to do that. She just had to be careful and not let Persephone walk around alone.

Persephone beamed when they arrived at the Olympus. She had never been there before and was absolutely flabbergasted by it's pure beauty. Pretty little pathways were surrounded by temples that belonged to the different gods. The temples were made of marble with gold decorations. The grass wasn't just normal grass, but it sparkled golden too. The pathways were covered with polished silver and everything smelled sweet and rich. It was winter, but the Olympus wasn't really influenced by that. It was slightly cooler and darker than in summer, but the difference was by far not as intense as in the human world.  
Demeter led her on until they reached a temple that was bigger than the other ones.  
"This is the main hall. All Olympic gods have their throne there, this is where we always meet for the Summer and Winter Solstice. You are to stay in one of the back rooms as long as I am there, I'm sure Hestia will accompany you. She used to be an Olympic goddess too, but then Dionysus appeared. He was born a human, but made a God by Zeu...by the Thunder God after he had invented the wine. A fight started among the gods, because there was only room for twelve Olympians. Hestia then left her throne and gave her place to Dionysus to end the fight. She doesn't join our meetings anymore."  
Persephone nodded and went to meet Hestia, a small yet curvy woman with long brown hair, who hugged her and smiled warmly. Persephone wondered if she was able to smile in a non warm way, as she was the Goddess of the Hearth...  
"I'm so glad to see you again, Kore! I only knew you as a baby, you've grown so much!"  
"Thanks, Hestia! It's pretty weird that everyone still knows me, but I never really met them..."  
"I'm surprised that your mother even allowed you to come today...she is very...protective of you, isn't she?"  
"Yes...she only wants the best for me, but always being locked in isn't that great either. So I'm glad to be with you today! Can you show me around?"  
Hestia pursed her full lips.  
"I don't know...your mother wants you to stay here."  
"But I will be with you all the time! I will not leave your side at any second. Mother can't forbid that, can she?"  
The Hearth Goddess nodded slowly. When Persephone was with her, nothing could really happen to her. Besides it was not like _every_ God was an immodest brute like Zeus. Many, like Hermes and Apollo, were playful and womanisers, but they didn't force themselves onto woman like the Thunder God did.  
"Okay, I will show you around. But don't tell your mother about it!"

Hades rested his chin on two fingers of his right hand while listening to Zeus' chorus of praise about himself and his marvellous works. Yes, yes, he was such a _great_ god, almighty and proud. When he went on about how _generous_ he was when it came to his _beloved_ little humans, Hades couldn't take it anymore and excused himself because he felt like he had to puke. Zeus didn't care much for his elder brother's attendance either way, so he didn't object when he left. Hades rubbed his forehead and left the temple, the bright eyes hurting his eyes. He spent most of the year far away from the sun and his eyes were used to darkness.  
He walked down the sparkling path, his hood dragged over his face to shield his face from the unbearable brightness and the people's looks. The Olympians always whispered to each other when he was around. They were full of fear and disgust and didn't even bother hiding this from him. Not that he cared. He never cared about what other people thought about him, he didn't even like people. Zeus and Poseidon, his idiotic younger brothers, were nothing but arrogant bastards who had nothing better to do than to drink, party and whore around. Zeus would never admit that he _needed_ the humans as they gave him power through their worshipping and their sacrifices. It was not only that Zeus didn't want him on the Olympus. Hades didn't want to come there either. He had much work to do, humans didn't stop dying just because he wasn't in the mood to work, and if having company meant that he had to deal with his family, he'd rather stay alone for ever. Lonely forever...  
The ruler over the underworld went on to the stables where his horses were waiting for his return.  
"Enough Olympus for one day", he muttered to himself when he entered the stables – and stopped dead in his tracks.  
"They are so pretty! I have never seen a real pegasus", a light voice said cheerfully. A voice that sounded like hope after a long storm, like light after the darkness, like... _spring_ after winter.  
Hades quickly hid behind a column and peaked around it to have a look at the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her hair was long and of a dark brown like the wet, rich soil in the forest. It cascaded down to her waist and surrounded her petite figure like a cape. What he could see of her skin was milky white, not as pale as his own skin, but slightly glowing, like skin after a dark winter that got kissed by the gracious sun now. Hades needed to swallow at her sight. She was standing in front of a white pegasus and stroked it's nose, Hestia, his sister and one of the few family members he could bear, next to her.  
"You can come here any time and visit them, if your mother allows it", Hestia said softly, knowing that this would probably never happen. Persephone sighed and crawled the pegasus' ears.  
"Thank you for the gesture, but...she will never allow that. It's a miracle that I could even come here, she usually never lets me go anywhere..."  
"Ah, Kore...today you are here at least! Now come, there's so much I still need to show you!"  
The two women closed the gate and left, which allowed Hades to leave his place behind the column. He went to stroke on of his black stallions that usually pulled his golden and black chariot. The thought of the girl wouldn't leave his mind. Kore...he had heard that name before. She was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, but her real name was Persephone. Demeter preferred to call her the sweet and innocent maiden Kore...poor thing. Her father was a bastard and her mother overprotective. No wonder that Hades had never met her before, if her mother locked her in all the time. Her beauty, though...he had never seen a girl like her. All goddesses were pretty, but she was special. Aphrodite, for example, was always flirting and giving her best to wrap all kinds of men around her finger. Persephone was different. She was _innocent_ , as if she wasn't aware of her extraordinarily beauty at all and she had an aura around her, an aura of life. She was the Spring Goddess, of course. Hades, who was usually surrounded by death, despair and loneliness couldn't believe that someone could radiate so much life and youth.

Persephone was lucky. Her mother didn't notice her little excursion and they went home in union. Demeter was in a bad mood, though. Being surrounded by so much 'bad influence' for her and her daughter had pulled on her nerves and she let out a relaxed sigh when they finally reached their home.  
"I'm so glad to be back here, Persephone", she muttered while opening her hair that she had pinned up.  
"Yes, mother..."  
"You saw how indecent most of them are! All they think about is their own personal entertainment. And how they looked at you! Apollo, Dionysus, bah! I'm just glad that the worst of them didn't get the chance to have a look at you. Hades...my oldest brother. He is disgusting. Full of death, fear and hatred. I don't even want to think about what pervert thoughts your sight would have put into his twisted mind!"  
Demeter's rant went on and on and her daughter just nodded. It was always the same. Her mother hated pretty much every being that wasn't perfect in her eyes.

Hades sat down on his throne. It was made from black marble and adorned with decorations of gold, bronze and gems, like his whole palace. He wasn't only the God of the underworld. Everything that was in the earth belonged to him, including all gems and metals. He was the God of Riches too.  
He tapped a slender finger against his chin. This girl...it spooked around his mind all the time. Her hair, her beautiful face...he wondered about the colour of her eyes. Brown? Green? Blue? He was sure they would be beautiful. Such a pity that her mother hid her from the world. What was most fascinating about her was her aura, though. So lively. So different from everything he knew.  
Hades looked to his right. Next to his own throne was a smaller, golden one. He had created it along with the palace, many years ago. Until now no woman had wanted to sit on it, though, and he couldn't blame them. Which woman would give up her life in the light and move in with him? There were some women who lived in the underworld with him, like Hecate and Nyx, but they were mere...well, he wouldn't call them friends. Hades had no friends. Mutuals, maybe.  
Zeus had always told him that he needed a wife – not that he usually listened to his brother, but this time he might have been right. A wife could brighten up his gloomy, dark world indeed. Especially a wife that personified life and brightness itself...  
Greek right demanded the father's agreement, but that wouldn't be a problem if he just flattered and boot licked Zeus a bit.  
Besides it wasn't like he would be a horrible husband. He was very rich and he could give his wife everything she could ever ask for. Of course there was the problem with the darkness and many considered his character threatening and were scared of him, but he wasn't too worried about that. Traditionally women were married by their father when they were around twenty and they didn't have any saying in this either way, so his wife should be thankful that she wouldn't be married to a peasant.  
Hades stood up in a smooth motion. He had made his choice. He would marry.

 **Did you like it? Please leave a review with your opinion, I love getting feedback. I'll publish the next chapter soon, so stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter Two

**Alright, my dear readers! I'm sorry that it took me a while to update, but university kept me really busy. I'm nearly done writing the whole fanfiction, I just need to proofread it. I'll continue to update every few days as I'd love to get feedback while the story is still running. There will be around fourteen to fifteen chapters, including the proloque.**

 _ **Chapter Two**_  
When he arrived in front of Zeus' throne room, he heard a giggling from the inside. Hades scrunched his face and opened the door, well knowing that he would regret it. The sight that was offered to him was indeed something that he had never wanted to see. Zeus was sitting on his throne, dressed in nothing but a gold chain around his neck. His chiton was crumpled on the ground, as well as a violet dress and female underwear. Hades' cheek got a slight pink (something that usually never happened) when the naked girl in Zeus' lap giggled again. The Thunder God himself made sounds that reminded Hades of one of his rare visits in the human world. A few decades ago, he had visited the North Pole to deal with a problem concerning one of the Wind Gods and as he had wandered around, he had heard a male walrus calling for a female one. Zeus sounded exactly like that.  
Hades cleared his throat to get his brother's attention. Finally the snuffling stopped.  
"Brother?", Zeus asked, peeking out from behind the woman's back.  
"Indeed. There is something I would like to discuss with you and considering that this is your _throne room –_ the one you share with your _wife_ Hera – I thought coming here would be appropriate. I regret this decision now."  
Zeus laughed sonorously and shoved the young woman off his lap. He stood up, presenting himself in front of Hades in his full... _glory_. Hades glared at the ground. He wasn't sure what he had done to deserve a brother like this. Zeus grabbed his chiton from the ground and pulled it over his ridiculously bulky, tanned body.  
"You can look again, brother. My lighting bolt is all covered up again."  
Hades looked up, having an expression as if his teeth hurt.  
""Thank you, _brother_."  
"Yes, yes. So, what leads you here? The Winter Solstice wasn't even two days ago, do you miss me so much already?"  
"I thought about what you told me all these years and came to the conclusion that you might be right. The underworld is as gloomy and dark as ever and I am bored."  
He purposely avoided the word 'lonely'. Zeus didn't need to know about this.  
"Ha, I knew I was right. So?"  
"So I have decided to marry."  
Zeus laughed loudly and clapped Hades shoulder with one hand. Hades clenched his teeth, he could very well imagine where this hand had been before.  
"I'm proud of you, brother! Who is it, then? One of the goddesses from your realm? Or is it a mortal? Now this would be interesting."  
"No, she's a goddess."  
"Oh come on, don't let me wait! Who is it?"  
Hades looked up, directly into Zeus' grey eyes.  
"It is Persephone."  
Zeus nearly suffocated on his own saliva, then he laughed again, even louder than before.  
"Persephone! My daughter! Now, I got to say that you have an excellent taste! The little thing is...marvellous indeed."  
There was a sparkle in his eyes that Hades couldn't quite place...was it...desire? Did his brother really took an interest in his own daughter? Zeus was a swine, for sure, but even for him this would be...  
"Thank you. I came to you because I want to ask for your blessing. As you are her father, I can't marry her without your permission. I promise to be a good husband for her."  
"Oh, I'm sure about that. You are rich and mighty, she couldn't ask for a better husband. Still...I'm not sure about it."  
Zeus pursed his lips while thinking about Demeter's possible reaction. The woman might not be as mighty as him, but he couldn't deny that she had power over the mortals. And as much as he hated it, he needed humans to worship him. The Harvest Goddess had accepted that he had raped her, had raped their daughter and impregnated her...but marrying her daughter to a man she hated and force a Spring Goddess to live in the underworld forever? This might be too much. Then again...why would he care? He could deal with Demeter's wrath later. And she really called for punishment, hiding her daughter from him and not even inviting him for her birthday party! He had punished Persephone...but not Demeter. He felt like it was time to make up for that now.  
"But fine, brother. Take her, if you want to, I will not prohibit it. Still it's up to you how you do everything, I will stay out of this."  
Hades nodded, a slight grin appearing on his face. The Greek right usually demanded a week of celebrations before the actual marriage. Friends and relatives would come and celebrate together, lead the fiancés through the city and spend the day of the marriage in the house of the bride's patents. Then husband and wife would be guided to their new house where the mother in law would welcome the wife. This wouldn't be possible for them, of course, but he would try to stick with the traditions as much as possible. Thankfully the bride had no saying in anything anyway, only her father's blessing was necessary.  
Very well, then. Zeus' okay –check. Now he only needed to get his bride. And he already had an idea on how to do this.

Persephone was laying in the meadows with her friends, the nymphs. They were braiding flower's into each other's hair, giggling and chatting. Cedar, a dryad, smiled while adorning a daisy to Persephone's long hair.  
"I wish I had the ability to grow flowers too! They are so pretty..."  
"Thank you...it's a pity that no one can ever really benefit from it..."  
"Oh but that isn't true! It benefits all of us! Now we can decorate our hair and see how pretty the flowers look!"  
She pointed to the small lake next to them. Persephone bent over it and looked at her mirrored image. The flowers in her hair made a beautiful contrast to it's dark colour. She liked the way she looked, although she never realized just how pretty she was. Her skin was perfectly smooth and milky white with only the slightest tan, her eyes big and surrounded by thick, dark lashes. They were the colour of the first leaves that appeared on the trees after the winter, a bright, promising green.  
"Yes, that is true. I just wish I could go and see more of this beautiful world! I'm sure there are much more different kinds of flowers, I want to see and smell every single one! I want to walk around freely and enjoy the sun on my skin, as well as the moon. Did you know that there are flowers that only bloom in the night? I'd love to see them one day."  
One of the other dryads, Fir, smiled at the thought.  
"Oh yes, I imagine them to be so pretty! Maybe as pretty as you Persephone!"  
She sighed and combed her light green hair with her fingers.  
Demeter had wisely chosen the nymphs who would accompany her daughter. Only the sweetest and most innocent ones got to spend time with her oh so sweet and innocent child. Persephone had seen many of her friends go, because they fell in love with a man, usually a satyr. They weren't allowed to stay with the Spring Goddess anymore as they could possibly 'poison her mind' with ideas of men. Persephone didn't really know what she should think about this. She wasn't sure if she would ever want to be with a man again after the _happening_. She sometimes found herself thinking of how it would be to have a man who loved her. How would it be to kiss anyone? At the same kind the thought scared her, she very well remembered the pain after waking up again. Persephone quickly pushed these thoughts down again. She had promised herself to never think about the _happening_ again and she would act on that promise. Either way, her mother would never allow her any romance, no matter how innocent it might be.  
When she looked around, she noticed that the nymphs had fallen asleep in the warm afternoon sun. She smiled lightly. Those girls never knew any bad emotions. They slept, ate and played with flowers. She sometimes wished she never had any doubts and could be as carefree as the nymphs.  
The Spring Goddess stood up and brushed some grass off her plain white dress. Her mother made sure that she never wore dresses that showed more than her arms and bare feet, to not allow Apollo or Helios to have an indecent look on her while they passed the sky during the day.

Hades slowly moved closer to the young goddess. His Helmet of Invisibility was shielding him from her sight, it allowed him to move around completely unseen, even to the Gods. The moment was perfect. Persephone was nearly alone, the nymphs around her were sleeping. Demeter was on her fields and wouldn't return home soon. He waved a hand and a tiny flower emerged from the ground. It was yellow and of a beauty that the world had never seen –no surprise, as it was _his_ flower. The narcissus. Flower of the underworld.

Oh? What was that? The Spring Goddess frowned when she suddenly spotted a flower that she had never seen before. She went to have a closer look at it, when the flower suddenly disappeared, only to appear again, a few metres far away. Persephone moved closer again, but the flower disappeared and appeared again – farer away this time. She could nearly hear her mother's voice in her head ("Child, don't be stupid! Flowers don't move, this must be a trap!"), but she chose to ignore it. It was bright day, the nymphs were not far away and she was a Goddess after all, what could possibly happen to her?  
She followed the invisible path the flower lead her until she was close to the forest, the nymphs more than hundred metres away now. Finally the yellow flower stopped. Persephone looked around, but there was nothing suspicious to be seen. She had no idea why the flower had moved, but it was so pretty that she couldn't resist. She knelt down and carefully plucked the flower to smell it. The scent was sweet, intoxicating. Persephone stood up again, ready to go back, when a hand covered her mouth. Her eyes widened and she whirled around. In front of her was a man, tall and broad, with long black hair that fell over his shoulders and piercing blue eyes, as cold as ice. He pulled her close, the hand still pressed to her mouth. The free hand snipped and the ground started to shake. Persephone tried to yell and struggle, but the arm around her was too strong and just pulled her closer. She tried to kick the man, but he just used his second hand too, holding her in an iron grip. The Spring Goddess stopped struggling, seeing that it was useless. She had to get her mother here. She looked around with panic in her eyes, only to see a black and golden chariot emerge from a crack in the ground, pulled by four black stallions. The man who was still holding her threw her over one of his shoulders, the right arm still around her waist, and entered the chariot. Now able to scream, she yelled at the top of her lungs and beat her small fists against his back, but before anyone could hear her and come to her rescue, the chariot disappeared in the earth and the crack closed. Only seconds later it looked as if nothing had ever happened.  
Hades held the squirming and wriggling girl closer to himself, his hand tightly grabbing Persephone's slim waist. She was so soft and warm, so alive...he felt the energy radiate from her and it made his skin tingle where he touched her. He had made the right decision, she would be a wonderful queen. Soft and warm, yet of an exquisite beauty and elegance. He felt her fists beating his back, but it didn't hurt him. He just hoped that she would be a little more cooperative soon.  
When they arrived in the underworld, Persephone's throat felt sore from screaming. She hung weakly over Hades' shoulder, feeling tired from the fight she had put up against him. Tears were filling her eyes when the realization that it hadn't benefit her the slightest hit her. She had no chance against this and had to accept whatever fate he had to offer to her. The tears streamed down her heated cheeks as he pulled her off his shoulder and gently set her on the ground. The dark haired man frowned when he saw it.  
"You are crying...?"  
He seemed honestly confused about this. Persephone looked to the ground to not let him see the fear that mirrored in her eyes. Hades snapped his fingers and a shade appeared to take care of his horses. He put a finger under her chin and forced her to look up. Her eyes, full of fear and anger now, were of a confusing green.  
"Don't cry. There's no need to."  
"N-No? Well, I think so."  
She wiped her arm over her eyes, but the tears wouldn't stop. Sobs were shaking her small shoulders. Hades frowned and lifted a hand to wipe them away for her, but she just slapped his hand away. He rubbed his forehead.  
"Okay...I can understand that you are confused, I'll explain everything to you soon. Now come, we need to get the boat."  
He grabbed her arm and pulled her on until they reached a river. Persephone made the mistake of looking at it. Faces were staring back at her, but they looked horrible. Pained and in distress as if they were faced with the most terrible of things.  
"Don't look at it, it's the river Styx. Bathing in it makes you invincible, but it can kill you too. That's why there are so many souls in it. People usually throw their lost dreams into the water."  
The man guided her to a boat and gently pushed her onto the bench before sitting down across from her.

"Charon, please lead us over the water."  
A figure dressed in a long black coat with hood used a paddle to get them over the river. Persephone hugged herself as she trembled. It was not only her fear, it was cold too. As if this place had never seen the sunlight, which it probably hadn't. Hades stared at her for a few seconds, before removing his cloak and laying it around her shoulders. At first she thought about pushing it off, not wanting anything he would give to her, but the cloak was nicely warm. It was so cold down here that she couldn't resist and wrapped the black material tightly around her.  
"So...I think I owe you some explanations."  
Persephone just stared at him, not saying anything.  
"You have probably heard of me. My name is Hades."  
The girl's eyes widened. _The_ Hades? Her mother had warned her – he was supposed to be the worst God of all, cruel and unforgiving. He would judge the souls and rule his land, the underworld, with a merciless hand. His dark character and bad temper were feared even among the Gods.  
"H-Hades? But w-what would you want from me?", she asked lowly, her eyes focused on her knees. Hades shuffled a little.  
"Well...this might be a surprise for you, but I have watched you from afar. I brought you here, to the underworld, to marry me."  
Persephone jumped up from her seat and made the boat bob up and down on the water. For a second she looked as if she was willing to jump into the river Styx right away. Hades grabbed her hand and pulled her down again, not letting go of her hand, though, even when she tried to shake him off  
"Careful, Persephone. I don't want us to fall into the water, as even for a God this would be an unbearably painful experience you surely wouldn't like to make. And I really don't want to make it either, when I have to get you out again."  
Persephone bit her lip so hard that it showed small stains of ichor, the golden blood of the Gods.  
"But why? Why me? And you didn't even ask me! I don't want to marry you."  
Hades shook his head, a few strands of his dark hair falling from their position on his back over his shoulders and onto his chest.  
"That doesn't matter, Persephone. You have no saying in this. I have your father's blessing, everything else doesn't matter."  
"No. I will not marry you."  
The tall man's eyes darkened a little, anger appearing in them.  
"Yes you will. No discussion."  
"No, my mother will find me! She will-"  
"Shut up! Don't rise my temper, girl, for I am not a patient man. I don't care what you think about this all. I chose you to be my bride, your father agreed, everything is settled. I promise you to be the best husband I can possibly be. I can give you great riches, everything you could ever ask for. You should be glad, you could be married to a peasant as well. You are a lower Goddess and a king is asking for your hand in marriage. Be thankful."  
Hades stared at her with cold eyes and Persephone nodded slightly, not wanting to anger him more. She felt like his gaze alone made the already low temperature drop by a few more degrees. Tears were running down her face again while she remembered everything her mother had said. She should be careful, she should not walk around alone. She should have listened to her! And her father...her dear father had agreed on this! Her hate towards the Thunder God grew even bigger. Everything bad that had ever happened to her was his fault alone.

Hades stood up when the boat stopped at the other end of the river and handed Charon two golden drachmas before offering Persephone his hand to help her up. She ignored it and jumped off the boat herself, the coat still wrapped around her slim figure. She was so small that the hem was laying on the ground and she had to be careful to not stumble.  
"Don't worry, the palace is a lot warmer", Hades assured her and continued to lead here through the twilight. The only source of light were the torches on the walls and the small green flame that the ruler of the underworld himself created in his palm. Persephone could swear that she heard a howl from somewhere in the darkness. She walked faster, close after Hades. As much as she hated him already, she didn't want to risk getting lost down here, as this place was probably more horrible than anything Hades could ever do to her. They walked on until they arrived in front of a giant palace. A wave of Hades' hand caused the front door, it was black with bronze decorations, to open by itself. The inside was indeed warmer and lighter, but by far not as bright as her meadows, the walls being illuminated by more torches.  
"I'm sure you are tired", Hades said after a few seconds.  
"Do you want to rest or have dinner first?"  
"I...I don't know..."  
"Then I shall lead you to your chambers first, so you can dress in warmer clothes. I already put a collection into your dresser, but if there's anything you need, just feel free to talk to me. The same goes for the jewellery. I'm the God of Riches too, you don't need to miss anything."  
Persephone thought that she missed her mother, her meadows and her _light_ , but she she didn't dare say it. She felt tired and worn-out indeed, so she followed him through a labyrinth until they reached a door that was big, but not as big as the other doors down here. It was decorated with a delicate carving of flowers. The sight caused a lump to form in her throat.  
Hades opened the door and followed her inside.  
"These are your chambers. I'm sure they will be to your liking. You are free to move around in the palace, but I'd recommend you to not do so unaccompanied as the palace is big and you might get lost. I strictly forbid you to go outside, though, this would be too dangerous. The river Styx is one of the smaller dangers out there. Do you want to rest now?"  
The Spring Goddess nodded slightly and dried her cheeks after she had finally managed to stop crying. Hades looked somewhat glad about this.  
"Well, then. I will pick you up in three hours so we can have dinner together. There are still things we need to discuss concerning the marriage, after all. If you have any wishes, just ask Ilea."  
"Ilea?"  
The air flickered and a woman appeared out of nothing. She didn't look like a real woman, though, she was half-transparent and her appearance seemed to shimmer.  
"I'm Ilea, Lady Persephone. I'm a shade and King Hades commanded me to serve you. I hope my work will be to your liking."  
Said king nodded and took a last look at his new bride.  
"You can call her any time, she will appear. See you later, then. And...don't be too sad. This realm is not as bad as everyone thinks. Neither am I."  
Saying this, he turned around and left Persephone alone with the shade, who slowly sat down on her giant canopy bed. She noticed that the canopy wasn't just black, it contained hundreds of sparkling little points – stars were stitched into the fabric and formed the constellations of the real sky. She didn't know if this should make her feel better or worse. Would she ever see the sky again?  
"Can I do anything for you, Lady Persephone?", Ilea asked politely.  
"No, thank you. I just want to be left in peace. And I want...I want to go home."  
She swallowed, running a hand through her dishevelled hair.  
"I'm sorry for you, Lady Persephone. But Hades really isn't as bad as you might picture him. And I'm always there if you need anything."  
Persephone nodded and laid down, pulling the blanket over her small body. She just wanted rest.

 **Please leave a review!**


	4. Chapter Three

**Ah, I'm so sorry! I only now notice that more than a week has passed since the last update. Anyway, I want to thank my dear reviewers, your opinion means a lot to me! At my guest reviewer: I don't want to spoiler you, but I guess it's imaginable that Hades will struggle being a good husband. Who wouldn't, after not having close contact to anyone.**

 **Note: Back in ancient Greece, men gave rings to their fiancé, this isn't a modern idea.**

 _ **Chapter Three**_

Two hours later Ilea gently touched her shoulder. Persephone shrieked and sat up. The touch was cold, but not really unpleasant, rather like a cold breeze that caressed the trees.  
"What is it", she muttered lowly while rubbing her eyes.  
"I thought it would be better if you stood up now. Lord Hades will be here in an hour and pick you up for dinner. You should brush your hair and change your clothes."  
"I don't care how I look like."  
"But he surely does. A wife should always do her best to look good for her husband."  
Persephone clenched her teeth, but stood up indeed.  
"We aren't married yet. When will...when will the marriage be?"  
"Tomorrow. But Lord Hades will explain you the details later. I'll help you to prepare tomorrow."  
She smiled reassuringly and the Spring Goddess looked around for the first time. Her chambers were beautiful, she couldn't deny that. A lot darker than her former home, yes, but everything was just the best. She had a big bedroom with rows of dressers, probably full of the most exquisite dresses, then there was a salon with a soft chaise longue and big bookshelves, as well as a fireplace where a small green fire was burning. With all the books, she wouldn't be bored at least, she thought darkly. Ilea lead her to the third room, a bathroom with a bathtub bigger than any she had ever seen before took. She sat down in front of a shelf full of make up and creams and a big mirror. She looked horrible, to be honest, her hair was a mess and her eyes red and puffy. Ilea stood behind her and gently combed her hair, then pinned it up. Persephone had never used any make up, but she tried one of the creams and the cool feeling made her feel slightly better than before. Tomorrow...tomorrow she would be married. The thought seemed scary to her. What did Hades expect of her? Should she rule and judge the souls with him, accompany him to business meetings and give birth to his children? The thought of her first child, the thought that she had buried deep, deep within her, came up again. She was so scared, both of the...well, making of the child and the childbirth itself. She felt a bit guilty for that as she was considered a Goddess of fertility too, yet her first childbirth had left her scared of ever getting a child again.

Ilea helped her into the new dress, it was dark green and from a thick material that hugged her slender figure in a more than appealing way. Most of the dress Hades had chosen for her were tight and had a deep cleavage, seeing them was enough to make her cheeks blush. Her mother would have never allowed her such dresses. Her mother...  
Before she could drown in sorrow yet again, there was a knock on the door.  
"Yes...", she muttered, not ready to face her abductor again.  
Hades entered the room and smiled when he saw her. He had a pretty smile, she noticed, but there weren't any wrinkles around his eyes. He probably never smiled much."  
"You look astonishingly good, my dear. I'm glad that you seem to like the dresses. If you look through the dressers, you will find jewellery too, necklaces, brooches, rings, whatever you want. Ah, while we already talk around rings..."  
He moved closer and pulled a small black box from his pocket, then opened it and revealed a small gold ring, decorated with a diamond and an emerald at each side of it.  
"May I?"  
Persephone stared at the ring bitterly.  
"I have no saying in this either way, have I?"  
"No. You don't."  
He took her left hand and shoved the ring onto her ring finger; it fit perfectly. His fingers weren't as cool as she had expected them to be, in fact they felt pretty normal.  
"Well, then. It's time for dinner."  
"I'm not hungry."  
"Fine, then. But we need to talk about tomorrow too."  
"Ah, yes. The marriage."  
She spat the word out.  
"Indeed. You do not need to worry, though. I do not mean to harm you."  
"No? You abducted me and you're forcing yourself onto me. I would very much call this harming!"  
"I already told you that you have no saying in this, and I can only repeat myself. I will always treat you the best possible and I will not hurt you...not more than necessary, that is."  
"Not more than necessary?! How am I supposed to understand this exactly?"  
"Well...there are certain...obligations in a marriage that might be uncomfortable at first."  
Persephone could have sworn that he was blushing the slightest bit. Aha? Was the great, evil Hades a bit shy when it came to these things? _Then we have at least one thing in common, at least_ , she thought bitterly.  
"I see", she answered in a low voice, taking the arm the tall God had offered to her.

Hades lead her to a big dining hall (seriously, everything in his realm was big and extravagant). The table in a middle was so full of food that Persephone thought it might break any second. She sat down slowly, not touching the food.  
"You can eat, it is not poisoned", Hades assured her calmly.  
"As I said, I'm not hungry."  
"Alright. Then let's talk about tomorrow. As I already told you, we can't have the whole tradition, due to the circumstances. I'll have Ilea and some other shades assist you, I'll have someone bring a variety of white dresses to you tomorrow, so you can choose the one you like best."  
"What about my chambers? Can I...can I keep them."  
"Of course, if this is what you wish. I won't force you to move in with me, although I would be happy about that, of course."  
"I prefer to stay on my own. I'm sure you'll find enough opportunities to try and _gift_ me with little black haired children either way."  
She smiled, but it was full of disgust and bitterness. Hades sighed lowly.  
"My dear, there is something I haven't told you until now. I'm very sorry that I have to disappoint you, when it comes to that. We can't have children together."  
Persephone lifted an eyebrow, now curious indeed.  
"No? Is the great, great Hades impotent? Now this would indeed be new among the Great Three, considering that your brothers reproduce faster than rabbits."  
She talked before she could even think about her words. She didn't even know that she knew the word 'impotent', maybe one of the nymphs had mentioned it once? Anger flashed in Hades' blue eyes again and a sharp line appeared between his eyebrows. Persephone looked down immediately, knowing that her words might have been too nasty and inappropriate in front of a God who could turn her to a pile of ash with a mere snap of his fingers.  
"No, that's not it", he said after a while, when he had more or less control over himself, his voice pressed. Did this woman dare to question his potency?!  
"You better learn to control your words, girl. The truth is that I just can't have children. I'm the God of the underworld, ruler of death. In a way I'm death itself. And death can't bring life."  
"Oh...that makes sense. I never thought about this before."  
"Yes...so if you really want children...we could...maybe adopt them?", he offered, but Persephone noticed that he wasn't too comfortable with this thought.  
"No, I...I don't want children either way."  
She didn't want to admit that she already had a child...and had no idea what had happened to it. She was a disgrace as a mother.  
"Good. Is there anything else you want to know?"  
"Yes. Am I allowed to visit my mother?"  
"No. Not now, at least. When we are married and all, this might be possible."  
The thought gave her hope. Then again...did she need to worry at all? She was sure that her mother was searching for her. And knowing her mother, Demeter would never give up on her, no matter what.  
Besides a thought was slowly forming in Persephone's mind. She had been shocked to come here, shocked to hear the news that she would be married the next day. She had cried and wrapped herself in her misery. But now she would fight. Hades didn't seem like a direct threat to her, so she would take the chance and try to escape in the night. Suddenly, her mood brightened up a lot.  
"Okay that's better than nothing, I guess. You see, I'm the Goddess of Spring. I need flowers around me to be happy."  
"Oh, that shouldn't be a problem. There are some plants that grow down here, you can make your own garden, if you wish to. There's enough room, after all. You already saw the main flower of my realm, the narcissus."  
"The one I picked?"  
"Yes. I can make as many of them as you want. I can try to get everything here that you might miss, apart from the sun, of course. Do you like horses?"  
"I do indeed."  
She forced herself to smile while her plan grew and formed in her head. She would need to make him feel relaxed, as if she would accept her fate. Hades smiled lightly while finishing his meal. He took a handkerchief and wiped his mouth gracefully.  
"I have horses too, they pull my chariot. Feel free to visit them any time, but ask me to accompany you, please. The meadows are dangerous."  
"Yes? What is so dangerous about them?", she asked sweetly.  
"The dead are not happy to be here. They are shades, and usually they can't touch us unless I allow them to do so, but if there are too many, they might overpower you. Then there's Tartarus and the fields of punishment, of course. This is where the humans who did terrible things in their life get."  
"It's a pity that Gods can't die", she muttered absently.  
"Excuse me?", Hades asked with a lifted eyebrow.  
"Ah, I just think that it's a pity that Gods sill never go there. I would have loved one God to be there..."  
"I see...may I ask who it is, then?"  
"...my father."  
Hades grinned knowingly, showing off his straight, white teeth.  
"Ah, yes, my dear brother. Everybody assures him how great he is, but secretly everyone hates him."  
"He is responsible for everything bad that has ever happened to me."

"I can imagine this list to be quite long..."  
"Oh, you have no idea."  
"Do not worry, my dear. As soon as you are my wife, he loses every right to decide over you as a father. And I will protect you and make sure that he can't decide over you as your king either."  
Persephone forced herself to smile. How would it benefit her if one danger protected her from another one? But she had to play the game and act as if she was okay with being here now. Then he would let his guard down.  
"That's gracious of you...Hades."  
The older God smiled when she said his name for the first time, not noticing that she was playing a game with him.  
"You're very welcome, my dear. I want only the best for you."  
"Why do you want to marry me at all?"  
"...the years have been lonely in the underworld...no one ever comes here willingly. There are some other Gods who live here, but we merely see each other. And when I saw you during the Winter Solstice..."  
He looked at her somewhat sheepishly and Persephone thought she got a glimpse of his real self. He wasn't all evil and merciless. He was just lonely. Not that she cared much about this at all. If he really wanted company, he should go out and make friends, not steal a woman and force her to marry him!  
"I'm...glad that you like me...", she said hesitantly. It cost her much willpower to do so, but Hades seemed to be flattered. He leaned over the table and stroked a streak of her hair behind her ear. Persephone winced, but didn't move away at least.  
"Maybe you should go to sleep now, my dear. It has been a long today and tomorrow is going to be even more exiting", he said after a while. She nodded, glad to be able to "go to bed" soon. She stood up and smiled at him again.  
"Yes, I am indeed. See you tomorrow, then."

She had no idea what time it was. Late enough, probably. She slid into a thick coat to shield her from the coldness outside and left her room. The palace was giant, but Persephone was used to getting along in the forest where everything looked the same too. She used flower petals to mark her ways so that she wouldn't go the same way twice and it didn't take long until she reached the entrance hall. She pulled the hood over her head, grabbed one of the torches from the wall and went outside.  
"Goodbye, dear _husband_ ", she muttered while walking away quickly.  
The air felt even colder at night. Or was it even night? She had no idea. It seemed as if the time didn't pass in this cold, dark place. Persephone hurried on through the twilight, hoping that she was going into the right direction. She really didn't want to end up in Tartarus.  
The Spring Goddess felt like she had walked for hours – it was a few minutes – when she heard a river. Styx, maybe? She moved closer, but the river looked entirely different to her, it was a lot colder than the Styx, and pieces of ice were on it's surface. They didn't look strong enough to carry her, though. Sighting, she followed the river to continue her search. Hopefully she'd find the exit before Hades stood up in the morning.  
Persephone went on and on, but the river seemed to never end. She was just about to turn around and try a different direction when she heard something. A howling. She had heard it before, when Hades had taken her here. The howling slowly got closer and Persephone simply turned around and started to run. Still the howling got louder and louder and soon she heard the sound of giant feet touching the ground. She tried to run even faster, but soon reached her limit. She stumbled over a stone and fell to her knees, then carefully turned around to look at a pair of dark brown eyes. No. Not one pair. _Three_ pairs. Along with three heads. She let out a high pitched scream and tried to crawl backwards, but the giant beast over her just growled deep in it's throat, saliva dropped down from all three mouths. It moved the middle head closer to her and sniffed, then barked and growled angrily. Persephone slid back further, but then felt a rock against her back. She was trapped. Well then, this would be her end. She couldn't die, but she could be ripped to tiny pieces, unable to ever heal again.  
"Cerberus! Off!", a familiar voice yelled and the beast looked up. It whimpered, obviously sad to leave it's prey.  
"Sit down, boy."  
Within a second, the beast let itself fall to it's bum with a loud thud. Now Persephone took a closer look at the monster. It wasn't just anything. It was a dog. A three headed dog. She would have loved to think about this further, but a very angry voice got her back to reality.  
"Persephone! What did I tell you about not running around on your own?! I told you that it's dangerous, god damn it! You can be so glad that I came just in time, otherwise Cerberus would have ripped you apart like a rag doll! Why didn't you listen to me, you dumb woman?! Just how naive are you?", Hades yelled at her. If he already looked kinda scary when he was calm, it was nothing compared to his looks when he was angry. His eyes were as cold and hard as ice and an aura of pure darkness surrounded him. It radiated off him, pulsating and burning. Persephone felt like she was completely crushed by his dark energy, she stared at him with wide, afraid eyes while he screamed at her. Finally he reached down and grabbed her wrist to pull her up.  
"It seems like I have to lock you in now, when you don't want to listen to me", he said coldly, but his aura slowly calmed down. Persephone felt like he would crush her wrist in his anger, but she stumbled after him, new tears on her cheek. That she hadn't managed to escape was one thing. That her soon to be husband was boiling with anger was something entirely else.  
Hades pulled his fiancé through the darkness until they reached his palace again. He opened the gate, pushed her inside, and locked the door from the inside, before turning around to her slowly. His hair was messily hanging into his face, his cheeks were slightly blushed. Had he been running the whole way to her?  
"Do you have ANY idea what you did?! I told you that being on your own would be dangerous!"  
"I...I'm sorry", she muttered lowly, not being able to look at him as the sight he offered scared her more than anything else before.  
"You are _sorry_? Oh thank you very much! You wanted to run away, didn't you? Your whole behaviour during dinner was acted, you just wanted to flee from me. Right?"  
Persephone nodded, sobs making her shoulders tremble. She looked so weak and fragile, so utterly scared. Hades looked at her for a few seconds, then he sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair.  
"Persephone. I can understand that this is all a bit too much for you right now. But I meant my words when I said it is dangerous."  
"I know", she muttered lowly covering her face with her hands. And then it hit him. She knew exactly how dangerous it was. But she didn't care. She was willing to risk drowning in Styx, getting ripped into pieces by Cerberus or falling into Tartarus. She would risk all that to get away from him. The realization wrapped around his body and nearly suffocated him. Was he so despicable? Would marrying him be worse than spending an eternity in Tartarus?  
"...Why do you hate the thought of marrying me so much?", he asked softly. Persephone looked up, surprised of his sudden mood change. She wouldn't have though that the great Hades could sound so soft, so...hurt? Yes, that was the right word. She wiped a sleeve of her coat over her face before answering.

"Why would I want to marry you?"  
The question felt like another slap in the face to Hades.  
"Because...I can offer you everything you want. I can give you pretty dresses, gems, luxury. You can have a giant garden, you will be a queen!"  
"And? I don't care about all these things, Hades. I don't know you. I don't love you. And I will go to bed now, I feel tired after your giant dog nearly used me as a godly dogchew"  
Saying this, she turned around and went back to her chambers. She had no idea how she had gotten the courage to say this, but it was true. Why would she ever love a man she didn't know? She went back slowly, not sure how to feel. Her mood swung back and forth between anger about the situation and fear of Hades. He had showed her very well how he could react if someone really angered him.

Hades looked after her, the pain in his chest still prominent. She wasn't the first woman to not be interesting, of course. He had lived through quite an amount of years, he had known many women, but none of them wanted to stay. Getting presents? Sure. Having an affair with the lord of the underworld? Sounded like an interesting adventure. But staying with him and marrying him? Surely not. He went back to his own chambers slowly, her words echoing in his head.  
He sat down on his bed slowly, forcing himself to stay calm. Persephone hated him. Fine. He didn't know anything else. He would marry her either way and maybe she would realize that he wasn't that bad. And if not...well, the he still had a beautiful wife.

 **I probably won't be able to post the next chapter until next week as I'll have to take a super important exam on the 27th. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll make it!**


	5. Chapter Four

**I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting again! I had a super important exam at university (I'm a medical student) that kept me quite busy. However, I passed it and proudly present you the chapter you waited for: the marriage. I spent quite some time researching on the wedding ceremonies in ancient Greece, so everything I wrote follows these traditions as good as possible. The only thing I changed is that they are wearing underwear in my story. Back then people didn't know underpants, but this thought is quite...unattractive to me. Anyway, enjoy!**

 _ **Chapter Four**_  
The morning came sooner than Persephone had wanted. She had a headache from getting little sleep during the night and she would have loved to sleep in, but Ilea was standing next to her bed with a smile.  
"Stand up, Lady Persephone! Your big day has come! We still need to choose a matching dress for you!"  
The Spring Goddess let out a grumpy sound and stood up, stroking her hair back. Ilea was already preparing a bath for her and she sighed softly when she let her body sink into the warm water.  
"Some other shades will come and help me to get you pretty today! I'm sure Hades will appreciate it."  
"...but what if I don't want him to appreciate me? I don't want to seem too...appealing to him."  
Ilea poured water over her head, her lips pursed.  
"If you are thinking of your wedding night, don't be too scared. It's not as bad as everyone says and Lord Hades...he likes you. I'm sure he would never hurt you on purpose."  
Persephone just nodded, but it made her feel even more miserable. Considering her situation she shouldn't have angered him that much yesterday. Was he still angry at her? Huh. When she had left him, he had rather seemed hurt and desperate. She nearly felt pity for him. Then again, he could have wooed her, like a proper living being.  
She left the tub when her skin started to feel wrinkly; Ilea had washed and combed her hair already and helped her into a bathing robe. She left the bathroom and there they were. A dozen of different white gowns, each of them had a different cleavage, some of them were tighter, some had beautiful decorations. She looked at every single one of them and decided for a dress that had small flowers stitched into the fabric. It was not too tight and not to loose and looked pretty, but it was nothing she needed to be ashamed of wearing. Ilea helped her into the dress and wrapped a brown, decorated leather belt around her waist. She gently pushed Persephone down in front of the dressing table and other shades appeared to take care of her hair and make up. Traditionally brides wore a light foundation, rouge and dark eye-shadow. Persephone bore everything without any comment. It was too late now, she had to accept her fate. And who knew? Maybe it wasn't that bad? She would be allowed to see her mother sooner or later. She could have a garden down here. And her husband didn't expect her to have his children.  
Finally Ilea adjusted a veil over her head. She was finished. Whatever this would mean.

Hades, now dressed in a white chiton, paced up and down in the dining room while waiting for his bride. He usually never wore white, but it was Greek tradition and he wanted to act according to them. He wanted to do everything the right way. He had seen his brothers marry and their relationships were...a mere farce. Zeus and Poseidon regularly cheated on their wives, they had dozens of children with other women and they didn't even feel guilty for it. In Hades' marriage, this would surely not be the case. He suppressed the urge to run a hand through his hair as it was neatly combed back. Was it ridiculous to feel nervous? Maybe. But if you had been rejected as many times as him, probably everyone would be nervous.  
He looked up when he heard steps. And there she was. He couldn't see her face as it was covered by a veil, but he saw the dress that looked more than beautiful on her. It was the one he would have chosen for her too, the one with the small flowers on it – perfect for a Spring Goddess. He smiled at her and gently took her hand. He couldn't see her reaction, but she wasn't too pleased, probably. Anyway. As long as he didn't see her face, he could imagine her smiling and being happy about everything.  
The table was already full of the richest food, but Persephone couldn't bring herself to eat anything. She wasn't hungry and besides...there was this feeling inside her, a feeling that told her to not eat. Hades looked at her all the time, as if he was hoping for her to show any reaction. Persephone was unbelievably glad for the veil, as Hades wouldn't see the fear and disgust on her face. For now, at least. She didn't know that much about marriage traditions, but she was sure he would remove the veil sooner or later.  
"Are you still not hungry, my dear?", he asked in a neutral voice while putting grapes, cheese and ambrosia onto his plate.  
"No, thank you", she muttered back, getting even smaller in her chair. Hades sighed and ate up.  
"Well, then. What a great and funny party indeed", he said sarcastically and stood up to take her arm. She winced at his touch, remembering the harsh grip he had had on her wrist last night, but this touch was different; gentle and light. The shades around them tried to brighten up the mood, but dead people aren't exactly cheery as well, so they soon gave up and just followed them, baskets full of nuts and dried fruits in their hands. When the got closer to Hades' private chambers, the started to throw the fruits and nuts at them and all Persephone could think of was that it was a pity to waste good food. She thought it wouldn't become any worse, but then the shades started to sing. It was actually a happy song, but to her it felt like a funeral march while she walked next to her groom. Hades had originally planned that the other Gods and Goddesses that lived in the Underworld would accompany them, but they all had declined his invitation. Nyx had just shaken her head after she heard of his plan to marry and Hecate had even dared to ask him if being alone all the time had severely damaged his brain. So it was just the two of them and the shades.

They reached his chamber way too soon and the shades bowed and left while Hades carefully lifted his bride up. He carried her over the threshold without any problem and set her down in the bedroom before closing the door.  
Persephone held her gaze on the ground, even when her groom stepped closer and pulled the veil away that had been covering her face. He gasped at the sight. She was always beautiful, but now, in a wedding dress, with make up and flowers in her braided hair, she was the prettiest being he had ever seen. Her skin was still glowing despite her being in the underworld, she still had an aura of life.  
"You are so beautiful" Hades muttered softly while stretching a hand to stroke her cheek. He opened his other one and a quince appeared in it.  
"Here, you need to eat this", he demanded her in a friendly voice. Persephone stared at the fruit. This was a tradition too, but she still had that voice in her mind that told her to not eat anything. She put it in her mouth and muttered something about wanting to get fresh first while hurrying to the bathroom. Inside, she spit the fruit into the toilet, she was feeling sick anyway. She looked at her image in the mirror and nearly didn't recognize herself. She looked more beautiful than she thought she could ever be, and this fact scared her. She didn't _want_ to be pretty for her new husband as she was too scared of the consequences. She gave the mirror a last glance and opened the door to the bedroom, her hands shaking. Hades hadn't left his position in the middle of the room and he was smiling again when he approached her. Persephone stood still when he opened her brown belt and removed it – this was the last part of the marriage tradition. No vows, no "I love you", just her father's blessing, food, a quince and the belt removal. She was a married woman now.

Hades looked down at his new wife, not sure about how to go on now. She stood there, with no expression showing on her face apart from her eyes. She had the eyes of a sheep on it's way to the slaughterhouse.  
He moved his hand to touch her face again, his thumb stroked her high cheekbone and moved on to her neck to pull her a little closer. Persephone felt her guts clench when he leaned down to her and gently pressed his lips to hers. The kiss wasn't like she had imagined it to be. She had never been kissed before, but the nymphs had described it as special, as if there were butterflies inside her tummy. Hades' kiss didn't feel that bad. It was soft and gentle, but it was surely nothing she would ever describe as a mesmerizing experience. He wrapped her arm around her waist to pull her even closer and Persephone winced when his chest touched her.  
"Relax...", he muttered while spreading his kisses over her cheek and throat, over to her neck. She kept silent, not pushing him away, but not urging him on either. Hades sighed inwardly and pulled her over to the bed where he sat down and pulled the small girl into his lap. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, kissing and nibbling. Her scent was intoxicating. She smelled like a mixture of every flower in the world, like forest and like the clean air after a storm.  
While he went back to kissing her lips, one of his hands stroked over her arm and up to her shoulder to open the golden clasp that was keeping her dress in place. He pulled it away and watched as her dress slid down. One centimetre, two...then it stopped. Persephone had one arm tightly pressed against her chest to keep the dress in place. She looked at him with wide eyes, the only feature on her that couldn't hide just how scared she was.  
"Can I...leave it on? Please?", she asked carefully, her hands so tightly clutching her dress that her knuckles shone white through her skin."  
"Yes...yes of course, if that makes you feel better."  
He wanted to smile reassuringly, but he couldn't. What was he even doing here? Was he turning into a rapist now? Greek law didn't know such a thing like rape in a marriage, it was a man's right to have his wife, but to him it felt wrong either way.  
To have something else than his guilt to concentrate on, he opened his own chiton, which left him in underwear. He was as deathly pale as the moonlight, but he wasn't unattractive. He had smooth skin with just the right amount of muscles, not as ridiculously many as Zeus where you needed to worry about getting crushed, but still strong enough. The God of the Underworld gently took Persephone's hand and guided it over his bare chest until it rested right over his heart. She could feel it beating underneath the skin, strong and steadily. Her gaze wandered over his white skin and shiny black hair back to his eyes.  
"Are you...are you going to transform into a snake now?", she asked in a low voice, feeling ridiculous already. Hades blinked at her.  
"Excuse me?"  
"I...I thought it would maybe be...a normal thing to do..."  
The God frowned deeply, having no idea how she could get such ideas. But then, all of the sudden, the last puzzle piece fell to it's place.  
"Persephone...is it possible that you have already experienced these kind of things?"  
She bit her lip, nodding slowly, then shaking her head.  
"No...it's not...then again it is...in a way", she muttered after a while, not daring to look at her husband. Hades gently touched her chin and moved it up, forcing her to look at him. His usually cold blue eyes were soft.  
"Who was it?"  
"...My father."  
For a second, Hades was too surprised to say anything. Then, when her words sank into his mind, he let out a growl.  
"Zeus. He dared to lay hand on his own daughter."  
It wasn't a question, it was a statement. And he didn't seem pleased at all, his voice was dark and he balled his fists.  
"I have always thought low of him, but this..."  
Persephone leaned back from him, nearly falling off his lap in the process. Hades ran a hand through his hair and forced himself to calm down again. He wrapped one arm around his wife's small waist.  
"Careful. So, my dear brother is an even bigger asshole than I would have thought. And he...turned into a snake for that?"  
"Yes..."  
The God of the Underworld leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, before gently shoving her off his lap and standing up. He walked to his dresser and got a loose shirt that he pulled over, before walking around the bed and sitting down on the other side of it.  
"Do you want a nightgown?", he asked, leaving Persephone confused.  
"Yes, but...what about..."  
"No. I will not do that with you. The gown is in the wardrobe to your left."  
She was so relieved that she gave him a small smile before standing up and fetching her sleeping wear, a plain white dress from a soft material. She went behind a folding screen in one corner of the room. She noticed that Hades' chambers looked like her own ones, only that they were even bigger.  
She opened the braids in her hair while moving back to the bed, letting it cascade over her back in waves.  
"...I guess I need to thank you", she said after a while, looking at Hades who was laying on his side of the bed, his strong arms crossed behind his head and his gaze fixed on her hair.  
"There's no need to, my dear."  
"Would it have been different if there...if you hadn't known about Zeus?"  
The tall God sighed lowly, his gaze wandering over the handsome features of her face.  
"No, it wouldn't. Unless my dear brothers, I'm not...I never took a woman against her will. I would have stopped either way."  
"Thank you."  
"No need to thank me. I will not touch you until you want it."  
Persephone bit her lip.  
"And what if I never want it?"  
"Then I will be a very lonely husband."  
He smiled crooked, but his eyes were sad. He didn't care much about having sex or not, it was more this feeling of being rejected again. It seemed like he was repulsive indeed. Once alone, always alone. He studied her face longingly before leaning to her and kissing her forehead.  
"Sleep well, my queen. I will show you around tomorrow so you can have a look at your realm. It's not as dangerous for you anymore, as you are their queen now."  
"Talking of this...what was the monster that hunted me yesterday?"  
She turned to her side, supporting her head on her arm and looking at him.  
"That was Cerberus. He guards the gate to the underworld and makes sure that nothing can flee from here."  
"He has three heads."  
"Indeed. He is actually very sweet, when he knows you."  
"Sweet. This monster."  
"Yes. I'll introduce you to him tomorrow. Now sleep, my dear, it was a long day."  
He smiled and leaned back, pulling his comforter up to his shoulders. Only minutes later, he was asleep. Despite being tired, Persephone couldn't sleep. She stared at her new husband who looked relaxed and at ease now. For the first time she dared to take a closer look at him, as he wouldn't notice it now. Hades wasn't an ugly man. He was tall and strong and he had a handsome face with a straight nose, not too thin lips and these piercing blue eyes, surrounded by dark lashes. He wasn't old, but during the day his face was always...strained, in a way. Now that his face was completely calm, she realized how unease he must be during the days. He had barely ever smiled at her, as if he wasn't used to it at all.  
Persephone bit her lip while stretching her hand and gently stroking a few streaks of dark hair off his forehead. She was still surprised that his skin felt warm, then again he was still a living being, despite being the ruler of the underworld. He seemed to enjoy warmth too, otherwise he wouldn't heat his palace, after all. She slowly got more courageous and ran her finger tips over his cheek. It was soft and smooth.  
Sighing, she took his hand back and laid down too, as far away from his as possible, just to be sure. He wasn't ugly, he was rich and he had a character that you could get along with. Why hadn't he wooed her and tried to win her heart? Then again, would she have decided to marry him, if that meant that she had to live in the underworld? Probably not. There were few, maybe no, women who would agree to this, it seemed like abducting one had been his only chance of ever getting a wife. Persephone frowned. Was she starting to understand him and feel compassion? She shouldn't do that. That Hades felt lonely was a pity, but it wasn't her fault at all. Making himself fell better while condemning her to live in the darkness was still a horrible kind of act.

 **Yes, yes, call me a hopelessly romantic, but I just couldn't make Hades take Persephone against her will. I want him to be different from his brothers, in every way. I'll update again soon!**


	6. Chapter Five

**We are making progress! Thanks again to Madame Thome for always taking the time to give me a long feedback. I appreciate it a lot!**

 _ **Chapter Five**_  
Demeter was restless. She had been searching for two days now, but there was still no sign of her daughter. In a fit of anger, she had turned the dryads into weeds because they hadn't taken care of her sweet little girl. She had searched every forest around their house, the meadows, even the rivers. Nothing.  
In her agony, she stopped taking care of her duties as the Harvest Goddess, the crops stopped growing and began to get dry and useless. She didn't care. All she ever cared about was her little daughter, her Kore, who had been taken from her.

Persephone woke up the next morning – she assumed it was morning, at least – with the bed next to her empty. She looked around, but her husband was nowhere to be seen. Instead Ilea appeared, bowing in front of her.  
"Good morning, my queen. Did you sleep well?"  
"Yes...more or less, at least."  
The shade looked at her curiously while making Hades' side of the bed.  
"I hope the last night was...to your liking?"  
Persephone blushed lightly and decided to stand up now to get ready for the day. Whatever this meant.  
"It was...okay, I guess. Hades is more...considerate than I would have thought."  
"See, I told you! He is a good king and a gentle lover, none of his visitors has ever complained."  
She got even paler, if possible.  
"Oh I'm very sorry, my queen! This was a horrible thing to say! Forgive me, please."  
"It's okay. Are there many...visitors?"  
"No. Lord Hades is usually very busy with his work, and even when he has time off...he isn't the type who has a girl for every finger."  
Persephone nodded slowly. She didn't doubt that her husband would satisfy his needs with other women, if she didn't offer herself to him and she should have been glad as this weight was taken off her shoulders, but it kinda bothered her. Even if the marriage had been against her will, she was his _wife_ now. And she had every right to not want other women around him.  
Ilea helped her to get into a new dress, it was violet with long sleeves and looked simply perfect on her. She wasn't that worried about her appearance anymore, now that he had promised to not touch her, and let the shade braid her hair. She grew a few flowers in her palm and put them into the braid; now she would be surrounded by a piece of her home, at least.  
"Is Hades awaiting me?"  
"Yes. He always stands up early in the morning and asked me to help you before bringing you to him. Do you want to have breakfast first?"  
"No, I'm not hungry."  
By now she _was_ hungry, considering that her last meal was two days ago. Still she couldn't get rid of the feeling that told her she shouldn't eat anything, she didn't even know why, but she believed it. As a Goddess she wouldn't starve, hunger was nothing more than an uncomfortable feeling to her.  
She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. She nearly looked like herself again, after her wedding outfit had changed her appearance so much.  
"Alright, then. I'm ready to meet Hades."

Tertius Castor hadn't been a good person while being alive. Born in Rome, he had moved to Greece after his family and neighbours hadn't wanted to deal with him anymore. He had lied, he had stolen, he wasn't anything they needed in their lives. In Greece he had soon found work as he was an intelligent young man and he had a talent of talking. He could literally talk people into doing whatever he wanted them to do, so he was a successful vendor. He married and got five children and it would have been a perfect story if there hadn't been the fact that he was mentally ill. His wife and children suffered from him, he beat them and killed one of his sons while punishing him by pushing his head into the bathtub. Tertius would have continued being a curse for everyone who knew him, but one night a fire started at their house and burned him alive. Not a pity, really.  
Hades looked at his whole life, not showing any emotion on his face although he was burning inside. He had no idea why there were so many horrible people, then again three quarters of his family were like Tertius Castor. A nasty thought passed his mind – maybe he should be lucky that he had gotten the underworld when he and his brothers had pulled straws to decide who would rule over which realm? Maybe looking at people suffering had prevented him from turning into a disgusting, scurrilous worm like his brother Zeus? His personal cleansing, how very refreshing.  
He decided to send the horrible bastard in front of him to the fields of punishment, where the furies would make up a proper punishment for him. He waved his hand and the man stumbled away.

Persephone entered the throne room, followed by Ilea. Hades was sitting on his black marble throne, upright and strict. His power seemed to whirl around him, but when he turned his head and saw his wife, his expression got softer. The Spring Goddess didn't know what to do, but thinking that he probably didn't like disrespectfulness, she knelt down in front of his throne.  
"Hades..."  
"You are awake, finally. Please stand up. Is the throne to your liking?"  
He nodded at the smaller throne next to his own one.  
"Yes...do I...do I really have to sit on it all day?"  
"Of course not. My work would be too much to handle for you either way, so you are free to move around, read or do whatever you like. Only special occasions require you being here too, but they are rare."  
"Ah."  
"Well, then. I thought I should show you around today, you need to know your kingdom, after all."  
He stood up and walked up to her, his long robes flowing behind him. Smiling, he kissed the top of her head and offered her his arm. Persephone took it, thinking about the sweet gesture. Hades had promised her to not force himself onto her. Yet he always touched her, he took her arm and kissed her forehead or hair. She didn't mind that, but it confused her nonetheless. Was he so desperately in need of physical contact, so yearning for a warm touch? She couldn't help but feel sorry for him again, being him probably wasn't that easy.

Hades guided his wife around the palace first, he showed her the giant libraries and salons with comfy fireplaces, as well as the caves full of gems, minerals and rare metals. Persephone looked at everything, again realizing just how rich he was – and her too, now that they were married. She had never cared for money and luxuries like jewellery and fancy dresses, but Hades went to one corner of the cave and returned with a gold necklace, as thick as a finger. A brown, sparkling garnet was hanging on it, it was the size of an egg. He laid the necklace around her neck from behind and Persephone could feel the stone's weight on her chest.  
"This is a gift for you, my dear."  
Persephone sighed.  
"Hades...I appreciate your gift, but it doesn't change the circumstances. I don't want or need such riches, all I want is to see my mother and get my sunlight back. I miss both of them so much..."  
His eyes darkened at that statement, but he remained calm.  
"No. You will see your mother again, but not now."  
"When? We are married now."  
"I don't know! You will see her again when I feel like it's the right moment. Stop always asking me this question, my answer will not change. So. I'll lead you outside now and show you the different parts of the underworld."  
He took Persephone's arm again, this time a little rougher than before. It reminded her that he had a strong temper that she shouldn't push. If Hades wanted to make her grow fond of him, this surely wasn't the right way.

They passed the Fields of Asphodel, where shades were moving around in the dim light, as well as the Elysium and the Isles of the Blessed. With him around, nobody dared to even look at Persephone, she really didn't need to worry, but she couldn't help but feel scared, being surrounded by the dead. She walked close to her husband as a reaction, as he would be the only one who could help her, if she ever needed it. Hades explained her how he judged the souls based on their lives and ordered them to go to one of the four sections for the dead. She had seen three of them and Hades' explanation of Tartarus with it's fields of punishment was enough for her to know that she really didn't want to see this horrible place, where Cronos, the ancient Titan leader and father to the Great Three, was held captive.  
They were about to go to the stables when the terrible howling appeared again. Hades frowned when his three headed dog Cerberus jumped in front of them, barking and growling at Persephone.  
"Good boy...this is Persephone. She's my wife. And your new queen."  
The dog cocked all three heads and stared at the small woman next to his master. He didn't understand the exact words, but it seemed like her being here was alright. He looked at his master in a way that asked 'friend' and when he received a nod, he lowered his middle head and gave Persephone a gentle push with his snoot before licking all over her body in one motion. Hades was about to call his dog back when something unexpected happened. His wife laughed. Loud and heartedly the sounds came of her mouth and she leaned up to crawl Cerberus behind his ears. The other two heads immediately moved closer too, craving for her attention.  
"Good boy you are", she said softly while stroking the brown fur, not caring about her wet dress at all. Hades watched her, fascinated. After Persephone's first encounter with Cerberus, he wouldn't have thought that she would ever like him, but here she was, giggling and saying soft words to the dog. He raised a hand to stroke on of the heads himself, glad about the sudden change of events.  
"I didn't know you liked dogs.""

"We had one on our farm when I was younger. I was scared of Cerberus when I first met him, but he really is a sweetheart! Aren't you, big boy? Yes you are. Such a _fine_ dog."  
She continued to cradle the dog's ears until Cerberus let himself fall to the ground and rolled onto his back to show her his belly. Persephone chuckled and climbed onto the dog to stroke his tummy too. Hades smiled softly at the scene before his eyes, his wife's laughter warming his heart. He hadn't heard her laugh at all since he had brought her to the underworld, but it seemed like a dog of the size of a house managed what he failed at: making her happy.

After a while they finally went on, Cerberus hopping after them cheerily.  
"Isn't he supposed to stay at the entrance?"  
"Usually, yes. You are the first being to distract him from doing his work t _wo times_ , he is not supposed to run around like that."  
"I'm sure he is bored there, all on his own."  
Hades stared at her, one eyebrow risen. She felt comfort for a lonely dog, but not for the dog's owner?  
"He has stuff to play with."  
"But that's not the same! He needs company."  
"Oh, is that so? I agree with you that one needs living company, that's why I took you here after all", he said in a cool voice. Persephone blushed and looked down.  
"I...I didn't think about my words..."  
"Indeed. But if you can understand my dog, then why don't you understand my motives?"  
"Because they are selfish?"  
"You call me selfish? Was I selfish last night, when I chose to respect your wishes?"  
His voice was slightly pressed in an attempt to control his temper.  
"No, I...I just meant...you see, I can understand that you were wishing to have a wife. I can even understand that you felt desperate as no woman would willingly move to the underworld, but this is not my fault! You punish me by making me suffer so you can feel better. But are you feeling better at all? Is that how you imagined having a wife?"  
Hades' anger rose within seconds and from one second to another, there was this creepy aura of wrath again. His eyes were as cold as ice and he lifted a hand to slap his wife, but before his hand could touch her, he hit a boulder instead. It cracked with a sound loud enough to make the ground shake. Cerberus let out a low howl and laid down, his paws over his middle pair of eyes.  
"Shut up!", Hades roared, staring at Persephone again.  
"If you really want to know: No, this is not how I imagined it! You were supposed to be happy to marry me, for I'm a good party! I promised you to always try my best and make you happy, but all you keep doing is whining around! Be thankful that I don't treat you like Zeus treats Hera – or like he treated your mother and yourself. You are my wife, I could do anything I want to you, I could beat you, I could take you as many times as I want. That I choose not to is because I show mercy on you and you should kneel before me and thank me to no end!"  
Persephone stared at him, her lips trembling. Then she turned around and just ran, as far as she could. Hades looked after her angrily, but he would surely not run after her just like that. He had warned her to not run around all carelessly more than one time, but if she didn't want to listen...  
He turned around, demanded Cerberus to do his work and went back to his palace, still in a grumpy mood. He knew that she was right, but that didn't change anything! Maybe it had been wrong to abduct her just like that and force her to marry him, but in the end she should be glad that Zeus hadn't married her long ago, preferably to a measly human so she could help him with caring for his sheep (Zeus would have gifted him with immortality, of course). Ha! She complained about being a Spring Goddess and not feeling well without sunlight, perhaps a simple shepherd would fit her better?  
He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He couldn't change this anymore and he would have to deal with it. He had thought his wife would accept her fate and they would be happy together, offering company to and caring for each other. He had looked forward to waking up with Persephone snuggled up in his arms, still sleeping peacefully. Well, his wife had turned out to be a dragon.  
He probably should have punished her and showed her to not talk back to her husband, but he couldn't. In the end he wanted to be different from his brother, no he _was_ different from his brothers. He was short-tempered and cold, yes, but he wasn't brutal or had fun abusing other beings. He had no idea what to do now. Should he still try and win her heart? Or should he stop trying and live next to her rather than with her? He really didn't know.

Persephone ran on through the darkness, tears streaming down her face again. During the three days with Hades she had cried more often than during her entirely life before. What a great marriage indeed. She felt kind of bad for insulting him like that as he hadn't mistreated her, but at the same time she was desperate. She missed her mother so much...she had never been without her for such a long time and she really wanted to see her again, if only for a minutes. Maybe she should be nicer to Hades so he would allow her to visit Demeter? Huh, she could be glad if he even let her sleep inside the palace for the night.  
She was wandering over the fields of Asphodel when she heard a soft voice. She wasn't sure if it was really there or just in her head, but someone was definitely calling her name. It didn't sound like her mother, but the voice was equally loving – and just as demanding. She frowned, but followed the voice that slowly got louder, farer and farer away from the palace. She was sure that she hadn't been here before. The was a river, but the water seemed strange to her; it was glowing in the dark and looked as if it was...burning? Blue flames danced on the water, licking at the river bed and spreading a gloomy light.  
"Persephone...come here. I can help you", the voice called again, causing her to look up from the burning river. She was close to a wide crack now and the voice seemed to come from the inside. Carefully she stepped closer, very well knowing that this was probably one of the dangers she had been warned of, but she couldn't resist. The voice was too sweet, yet too necessitative to simply ignore it. It seemed to be in her head, around her, it was as if her whole existence consisted of the voice she had been waiting for all her life.  
The Spring Goddess knelt down next to the crack and looked down. The ground was so far away that she couldn't even see it, but fog was slowly making it's way up to her and caressed her face softly.  
"Persephone, I can help you...you don't need to go back to Hades. Come here instead...you are bound to live forever, forever in this darkness...but I can stop time...I can make sure that it won't feel like eternity too you...just the blink of an eye until I rise...and then I will reward you."  
The words, sweet and thick, surrounded her like a lullaby and made her wish she would hear it forever. She was so lulled in by the sweet voice that she didn't even notice that she started to feel weaker, how her legs felt heavier and breathing was more difficult the closer she got. She leaned over the crack, farer and farer. And then she fell.

 **Baddumm. I love cliffhanger's, haha! I had fun writing this chapter as I just emlove/em describing some drama. I really like how Hades is always switching back and forth between gentle kindness and anger, the years have definitely left their mark on him. Then again, he is a nearly almighty God, he probably has all right to be moody. XD**  
 **Oh, and in case you were wondering: This story is rated M, but it's a real soft M because of darker themes and cursing. There won't be any smut. Alright then, have a wonderful weekend!**


	7. Chapter Six

**Oh my gosh, thank you so much for your lovely reviews! They made me very happy (and motivated me to update fast huehue). To my guest reviewer: Thank you for telling me that Zagreus is technically part of the Orphism, I didn't know that. I tried to do as much research as possible, but it's quite a pain in the ass, as every poet felt like he had to add his own tales (in a way, Ovid and the others were ancient fanfiction writers hahaha).**

 **I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter!**

 _ **Chapter Six**_  
The hours passed and Hades started to get nervous. Pacing up and down with crossed arms, he mused that she was either still very angry at him or something had happened to her. She had been in danger before, and despite being the queen now, she was still a lesser Goddess, not to mention young and inexperienced...he cursed lowly and put on a cloak before getting outside.  
"Cerberus, come here!", he called, and only seconds later the giant dog appeared. Hades ordered him to search for Persephone. The dog sniffed and then ran off so quickly that his master had trouble following. They rushed through the darkness and slowly got closer to the most terrible place in the whole underworld – the Tartarus. Was she there? Of all places...  
If he wasn't a God, he would have been absolutely done when Cerberus finally stopped in front of the crack that marked the entrance of the Tartarus. He barked and howled and stared at his master.  
"Oh damn it...", Hades muttered and slowly moved closer. The closer he got, the weaker he felt. That was one of the nasty tricks of this place: Gods lost their power around it, until they were even weaker than humans. He couldn't die, but he could be shattered on the ground or trapped forever, especially without his Godly powers. Hades carefully leant over the rim and looked down. Nothing but darkness.  
"Persephone! Are you there?", he called out. He was answered nothing but silence, but then, finally, he heard a low sound. There. This place was even darker then the rest of the underworld, but eventually his eyes got used to it and he saw a small figure about sixty metres down. Persephone. She was standing on a small rim, barely wide enough for her naked feet, pressed to the wall. Golden Ichor was smeared over her face and dress, probably because of the deep fall. Their quick healing abilities didn't work in Tartarus as well. His wife was staring into the darkness before her, shaking and obviously not hearing him. Hades cursed again and removed his coat for Cerberus to take care of before carefully putting the first foot into the crack. He hoped that if he returned, his cloak was still intact. And if he would not return...well, then Cerberus could be happy to have a new cuddling blanket.  
His foot found a small rim that held his weight and he started to climb down slowly, one metre after another. The skin at his hands cracked and his arms soon started to hurt, being used to nearly never ending power. He huffed when he got closer to Persephone. He should have thought this through...he didn't even know how to get her back up!  
After what felt like eternity, Hades finally reached the tiny rim she was standing on. He had barely enough room to get next to her, but pulled her to his chest either way.  
"Persephone...Pers...don't worry, okay? I'll get you out of here."  
He looked at her face that was dirty and covered in scratches and she nodded slowly.  
"Okay. Can you hold onto my back?"  
She nodded again and carefully moved around him to climb onto his back, her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his tummy. She pressed her face into his back while Hades climbed back up, huffing and groaning. His arms felt like fire while he climbed. Sweat formed on his forehead and he slowly felt his last strengths leaving him. His hand slipped from the stone he had been holding on and he nearly feel down, but his other hand found hold in a creft. He wiped away some sweat that was running into his eye and climbed on until he finally reached the edge of the crack. He pulled them over it before collapsing onto the ground. Persephone got off his back and laid down next to him, her lips still trembling. Without her husband, she would have stayed there forever, she was sure of that. It was not only the fact that she had fallen and hurt herself, she could live with that. The hours in Tartarus had tormented her soul too. She had felt the emotional pain of utter despair with no hope to ever get better again. She had felt as if her whole live energy had been sucked out and left her with all her sorrows and fears. She was sure that only a few more minutes down there would have driven her crazy. She was still staring at the dark ceiling of the underworld when Hades touched her arm. She turned her head to look at her husband, who was still a mess. His hair was dishevelled and hanging into his face in messy, sweaty streaks.  
"We need to get away from here...the Tartarus robs us of our strength."  
Persephone nodded and stood up on shaky legs before offering her hand to Hades without hesitation. He stood up too and they slowly walked back to the palace, supporting each other. The farer they got away from the crack, the better they felt and their powers slowly returned. Still it would take a good night's rest to restore their health and strength.  
"Come with me", Hades said softly and guided her to his personal bathroom. Persephone sat down on the chaise longue, glad to finally be able to lean back and relax without needing to fear that she might fall down. Hades knelt down in front of her with a bowl of water and a cloth and carefully cleaned her face of dirt and dried Ichor. She let it happen, too tired to stop him. Besides...she didn't want him to stop. He had saved her two times already, he had risked his own life by climbing down to her and getting her up, although he had had no Godly powers. She definitely owed him quite a lot and it wasn't as if a caring hand touching her face would feel too bad. When he was finished, Persephone took the cloth from him, cleaned it and washed his face in return. Hades looked at her in a surprised way, which made her look down. She wasn't even sure why she was doing this, but she felt like she had to redo him the favour. She stroked his messy hair back with one hand and continued until he was clean, though very tired looking.  
"I...I thank you for saving me. Without you, I would have gone crazy."  
"Yes...the Tartarus is the worst place that has ever existed..."  
"What...what was that being down there?"  
"My father, Cronos. After the war between Gods and Titans, he was cut into pieces with his own scythe and put in the deepest depth of the Tartarus."  
"He talked to me..."  
"Yes...the Tartarus has the special ability to rob Gods and Titans of their power. Cronos can't regenerate, but he still has a strong mind."  
"If you hadn't come to save me..."  
"Dear, let's talk about this tomorrow, okay? We both need to sleep to regain our full powers..."  
He stood up and didn't even bother removing his chiton before falling onto his bed. Persephone looked at him and smiled slightly. She had never seen any God so weak and tired, especially not one of the Great Three. He had weakened himself for _her_ alone. The thought made her feel fuzzy and she pulled the comforter over his body before laying down next to him. She was so tired that she didn't even care about the fact the she had wanted to sleep in her own room from now on.

When Persephone awoke, Hades was lying close to her, with his arm under his head, and breathing calmly. She felt fully restored, now the experience of being in the Tartarus felt like a bad dream to her. Still she knew that it was truth. Her husband had saved her from a terrible fate, moreover he had cared for _her_ first rather than for his own bruises. And she had made a decision. She would just need to wait for him to get up.  
A few minutes later Hades stirred and slowly stood up. His hair was even messier than one day before; he stroked it out of his face to at least see something. Persephone smiled at the sight.  
"You are still here?", he asked, surprised that his wife had willingly slept in his bed.  
"Yes. I was too tired to leave yesterday."  
"Ah. Well, I'll take a bath then."  
He wanted to stand up, but Persephone laid a hand onto his shoulder to stop him.  
"Wait. There's something I want to discuss with you. So...you saved me. Again. You climbed into the Tartarus with nothing but mortal strength to get to me and you climbed out again with my additional weight to carry. You could have fallen into the Tartarus, you could have been shattered on the ground. I won't say you could have died because we can't die, but you could have had a fate worse than death, being forced to stay down there forever with no possibility to regain your strength. I have no idea why you did that, but I thank you. I owe you my life."  
Hades gave her a small smile and stroked a streak of brown hair behind her ear.  
"I just don't understand one thing, Hades. Why did you do it? I insulted you, I was stupid enough to run away again and-"  
"And you are my wife. I would do everything to protect you."  
"Yes...that's the conclusion I came to as well. So...I've decided to give you a chance."  
"You..."  
He stared at her in disbelief.  
"Yes. I will not be the happy wife from one day to another, but I accepted my situation and I will not bitch around anymore. I'll give you a chance to...win my heart, if that is what you want."  
Hades didn't know what to say, so he just leaned over and kissed her forehead.  
"Thank you, my dear. You will not regret it, I can promise you that. This changes today's chores, of course...Minos will hate me for taking another day off."  
"Minos?"  
"One of the judges, there are three all in all. They help me with judging the souls and they are not that pleased that I barely worked in the last days. Anyway, I'm their king, not the other way round. Would you like to have breakfast with me today? You barely ate anything in the last days."  
He didn't know that Persephone hadn't eaten anything at all as she had spit out the fig. A few days without food didn't matter for a God, but the Spring Goddess was still unsure about eating. The weird feeling that she shouldn't just didn't leave her. It would be another day without food, then.  
"No thanks, I'm not hungry. But I...wouldn't mind going for a walk with you afterwards,"  
Hades sighed, but then smiled slightly.  
"Okay. I still have a surprise prepared for you, after all."

"You have quite a lot surprises for me..."

"Yes. I'm trying to convince you that being my wife really isn't that bad, after all."

Hades took her arm like always and guided her out of the palace.

"Before moving on, please close your eyes. I really want you to be surprised. Don't worry, I'll make sure you won't trip."

Persephone did so, holding onto his arm tightly as he lead her on. After a good two hundred metres he stopped, leaning to her ear.

"My dear, you can open her eyes."

She did so and was absolutely speechless for a few seconds. They were standing in a garden, filled with plants she had never seen before and surrounded by high hedges. Everything was glowing in the dim light of the Underworld, the trees were spreading a blue light, the flowers were glowing in every colour imaginable. Despite the harsh conditions, everything was alive and well, she guessed that all the plants were only able to grow at a dark, cold place like this. Still remaining silent, she went and touched one of the trees that blossomed in a light blue. She touched the stem and leaned up to the small petals to smell their intensely sweet scent.

Hades waited patiently while his wife slowly went from one plant to another, touched and smelled them. He watched as her hands gently caressed the bark as if the trees were old friends that she had missed for far too long. Finally she turned around to him, her expression calmer than it had ever been since he abducted her.

"Thank you, Hades. This place is so beautiful."

"It's yours, I made this garden for you. I'll create a magical connection to your private chambers, so you can come here any time. I made sure that this place is as safe as the palace so you don't need to worry about-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Persephone had wrapped her slender arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, her face against his chest. After Hades' first surprisement had faded, he gently laid his arms around her small upper body. Her scent filled his nose, a mixture of different flowers.

"Thank you, Hades. I really appreciate this gift."

"You're welcome, my dear."

He would have loved to hold her longer, but she took a step back and smiled at him.

"What is your favourite flower?", he asked, looking into her eyes.

"Lilies. Everyone loves roses. But I really like lilies."

"Did you know that white lilies are a symbol of death?"

"Yes...seems like I was destined to become the Queen of the Underworld. Is there any flower you like?"

"To be honest I never thought much about flowers until I first saw you. The narcissus is my symbol flower, though. It's supposed to symbol vanity, but I don't think that fits a God of the Underworld who spends his life in nearly entire darkness."

His smile was so bitter that Persephone bit her lips. She slowly raised a hand and laid it to his shoulder.

"There is another meaning to the narcissus..."

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you. It's...sad."

"Oh, I'm sure I can deal with it, then."

His smile got even bitterer and Persephone looked away from him, to a small red flower.

"It stand for unrequited love too..."

Hades let out a low chuckle. He stepped back, causing his wife's hand to slide off his shoulder.

"Seems like this flower fits me a lot better than expected, who would have though that."

The Spring Goddess looked up and saw the pain in his eyes.

"Do you love me, Hades?"

"Yes...how could I not? You are everything I have ever craved for. You are so young and innocent, so alive. You have no idea how much you are shining, you are like a burning torch in the darkness of the Underworld."

Persephone didn't know what to say to this. She didn't love her husband, but he knew that. She didn't know if she would be ever able to love him, but she had promised to accept her situation. And having her as a friend would be better than no relationship at all, right? Hades pulled himself together when he noticed how uncomfortable his words made her feel.

"I'm sorry, this is nothing you should worry about. Do you want to stay here or should we go back?"

"I would like to stay here for a while longer, but...I'm very sorry. I shouldn't have told you about this at all. I'll try my best to get to know you better, to understand you and to see behind the façade of the dark God everyone fears. I promise it."

He stared at her for a few seconds, his eyes unreadable.

"Then maybe...we should talk a little more, to get to know each other."

Persephone smiled and sat down under one of the trees that carried bright red fruits. Hades slowly followed her, laying his coat around her shoulder as it wasn't too warm in the garden.

"What are those fruits?", Persephone asked and pointed to the fruits on the tree.

"They're called pomegranates. They are very sweet, but bitter when you bite down on them. Do you want to try one?"

She shook her head, still not wanting to eat. Her decision was slowly crumbling, though. The food down here wasn't poisoned and she was hungry, so why did the voice in her head tell her to not eat? The last time she had followed the orders of a strange voice, she had ended up in Tartarus. So maybe she should just give in and dine with her husband tonight.

"No, not right now. So...why don't you tell me more about you? We are married, but I barely know you."

"Then ask me questions."

"Fine. So...from what I know about marriage, you stick close to every Greek tradition there is, as good as possible. Why is that?"

"I wanted to do things right. My brothers...they married because they thought a true king should have a wife and heirs, not because they actually felt like marrying. They just wed their current affair at that time, and the girls were hopelessly in love with them anyway. They never put much effort into their relationships, and now look at them, it's nothing but a farce. They constantly cheat on their wives; married couples should work together as a union, but this was never the case. Hera would love to divorce from Zeus, but this is not possible as she's the Goddess of the Marriage and Family. Plus she would need our father Cronos' blessing, of course. I don't want that to happen, I wanted to have a correct marriage."

Persephone stared at the grass in front of her, her heart getting heavier with his words. He sounded so honest, so upright.

"But you will have other woman too, won't you? If I don't let you touch me..."

"I will not cheat on you, if that's what you mean. Even if I will probably regret that vow."

He chuckled lowly, but Persephone noticed that there was a hint of desperation and sadness in it.

"Then….thank you, I guess. You are not like my mother told me you were."

"No? What did she tell you, that I'm a cruel monster that likes to eat sweet young girls for breakfast, that my stern eyes burn people to ashes immediately?"

"Pretty much. My mother is...very careful. She never had a child again and she never wanted to lose me at any cost. Especially because she knew of Zeus' true nature, she dearly wanted to protect me."

"I see..."

The young Goddess drew a deep breath before talking on. She didn't even know why she was telling this in the first place, but she felt like it had to get out.

"I had a child."

Hades looked up, surprised.

"Yeah, I know, it's quite a surprise. I never told anyone about it apart from my mother and I never wanted to even think of him again, but I had a son. Zeus got me pregnant back then."

"What happened to your son?"

"Well...I feel guilty for saying this, but I never wanted him. Shortly after giving birth, Zeus paid me another visit. He knew that I didn't want his cursed child and offered me to take care of him instead. I made him swear to never touch my mother and me again and do his best to care for the baby and...then I handed my son over. I never wanted to be a mother, but I still feel so horrible for giving my child away like that. I don't even know what happened to him, Zeus asked me to visit him, but I always declined. I preferred to act as if he didn't existed, as if I was still the sweet and innocent Spring Maiden."

She swallowed as a lump was forming in her throat. She had always suppressed these thoughts, but now that she talked about them, she realised just how guilty she felt for never caring for the small baby she had carried under her heart for nine months. Hades slowly laid an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer until her head was touching his strong shoulder, his fingers gently caressing her upper arm.

"What was his name?"

"Zagreus."

The Lord of the Underworld felt his organs twist. Zagreus...a three years old boy was delivered to his kingdom a few months ago, slayed by a group of Titans.

"I'm sure he is well", he lied after a few seconds, not wanting to tell her that her son was on the Fields of Asphodel now.

"You think so?"

"Yes. If Zeus promised it on the river Styx, he is bound by his vow. What should happen to a little boy if he's under the protection of the King of Gods?"

"Thank you...is it selfish to say that I was glad when you told me we will never have any children?"

"No...and to be honest that makes me glad too. I was worried I was robbing you of that satisfaction. Not that I'm particularly fond of children anyway...they are noisy and cause a lot of work."

Persephone giggled lightly.

"Exactly! And they are surely not as cute as everyone says. On the contrary, newborns are rather ugly, all red and wrinkled and covered in grease."

She laughed a little more before closing her eyes and resting completely against her husband. Hades gave one of his rare smiles and gently kissed her head, immediately intoxicated by the scent of her hair. She smelled like warm sunshine, like flowers and before he even knew he had pulled her to his chest, his nose buried in her dark locks. Persephone let out a surprised sound, but she didn't decline. Being in her husband's arms felt better than she would have thought and his nose tickled her skin in a pleasant way. Smiling, she slowly ran a hand up to his shoulder and, after a moment of hesitation, into his hair. She had always wanted to touch the shining, pitch black streaks and gently caressed his scalp with her fingertips. His hair was soft and silky.

"You have beautiful hair", she muttered against his chest and made her husband chuckle.

"You are one to say, my dear..."

 **Boom, another chapter done! Tartarus robbing Gods of their powers was my idea, it is not in the original story. I felt like it fit and made sense either way. Please leave a review again, I'd love to hear your opinion!**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Update time! You might have noticed that I changed the rating to T as I feel like an M rating isn't really justified (even though this chapter is going to be violent lol), I might have been a bit too cautious first. This chapter was much fun to write as I find a strange kind of pleasure in drama and emotional pain (I'm quite sure that most of you know that feeling). I really hope you'll enjoy this just as much!**

 _ **Chapter Seven**_

A few days later, Demeter sat down by a small fountain, wiping her wet cheeks. She had searched for her lost child for days, but Persephone was nowhere to be found. The earth looked much like a desert now, after the Goddess of Harvest had completely abandoned her duties.

"Oh my sweet child, where are you?", she muttered to herself and ran a hand through her former thick hair that was now hanging into her face in greasy streaks.

Suddenly a shadow fell onto her and Demeter looked up. In front of her was a man with bright golden hair and teeth so white that he could easily advertise toothpaste ("Colgate super white – for a Godly smile"). He sat down next to her, smiling widely.

"What do you want, Helios?", Demeter asked in a tired voice, rubbing her forehead. She hadn't slept in days.

"Oh, I just heard that you were searching for your beautiful daughter."

"Yes. And?"

"And I might be able to help you, my dear cousin."

Demeter looked up, her eyes widened.

"How? Talk!"

"She got abducted. I know by whom, buuut the question is what you are willing to give me in exchange for that information."

He grinned even wider and that's when something snapped in Demeter's head. She jumped up and within a second she had her hand around Helios' neck, shaking with anger.

"Shut up, you lower God! You lose more and more power as the people forget about you and worship Apollo instead, so shut the fuck up! You will tell me where my daughter is right now or I will squeeze you to juice!"

Helios let out a pressed sound and nodded until she let go of his neck. He swallowed a few times, rubbing the red skin.

"Hades...Hades abducted her."

Zeus was busy with a woman that was surely not his wife when the doors to his throne room were smashed open and a very angry Harvest Goddess stomped into the room.

"You! You measly worm of a king and father, how dare you!"

Zeus sighed and sent his girl away before slowly dressing again.

"Nice to meet you, sister. How can I help you?"

"My daughter got abducted and you do not only not help me searching, no, you're well aware of where she is! Helios just told me that Hades abducted my sweet Persephone and you _can't_ tell me that you didn't know about that!"

She rushed up to him, one finger raised and her face red of anger. Zeus rolled his eyes and sat down on his throne with a low sigh.

"Yes, I do know that she's with Hades. They got married just a few days ago."

Demeter paled, then her face turned an even darker shade of red.

"YOU LET THIS BASTARD MARRY _MY_ DAUGHTER?", she yelled at the top of her lungs, looking as if she would collapse any second.

"Yes. I gave him my permission. You might have forgotten it, but she's my daughter too and as her father I can decide about her. That I let her be with you all the years is all thanks to my never ending mercy."

"You call this mercy, you damn traitor? Oh dear, my poor daughter! Married to this...this _being_."

"Yes. So, would you go now? I have still some business to attend to."

"Oh no, no, dear brother. This time you won't get away like that. Did you take a look at your precious earth? All the plants are dying, it will soon be a complete desert. And who will pray to you when all humans are dead? Your oh so beloved humans?"

"You wouldn't kill all humankind..."

"Yes I would and I will! You will come with me now and help me to get my daughter out of the monster's claws, otherwise I'll kill every human being on this planet!"

Zeus swallowed, his hands clenching and unclenching. He really needed the humans, every God did. If they all were to die…

"Fine. I'll come with you."

"Do we want to have dinner now?", Hades asked softly after they had sat in comfortable silence for a while. Persephone nodded slowly, her decision not to eat crumbling again. She was hungry and why would she listen to some strange feeling she couldn't even place?

"Alright. I just want to change my clothes first, if that's okay."

"Of course, I will pick you up then."

Hades accompanied his wife to her chambers before returning to his own ones to get fresh. Persephone looked after him with a small smile and went inside, humming while opening the dresser and deciding what to wear.

"You seem in a good mood today, Persephone...or shall I call you Kore?", a strange voice said behind her when she was just done dressing.

Hades stopped in front of his wife's chambers as soon as he had put on proper clothes and combed his hair; he wanted to look the best way possible, after all. He was just about to knock when he heard a voice. Frowning, he opened the door just enough to peek inside.

Persephone whirled around to see a very beautiful woman with flowing dark hair and a torch in her hand.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry if I startled you, dear. My name is Hecate, I'm one of the Goddesses that live in the underworld."

"Oh...I see. And calling me Persephone is fine, I'm married, after all."

"You are...but maybe not for long. Have you eaten in the Underworld, my child?"

"No...I always had the feeling that I shouldn't"

"Good, then my messages reached you. I wasn't so sure as I had to make sure Hades wouldn't notice anything."

"So it was you who told me this? Why?"

"People who have eaten something in the Underworld can never leave it again. You, however, can still return if this is your wish. Your mother will arrive soon."

"My mother is really coming? She wants to save me?"

"Yes, child. You will be able to return to your home, if this is your wish."

Hades in front of the door felt like he was suffocating, his thoughts whirling in his head. His damned wife had tricked him again and would leave soon...would leave his side…

He pushed the door open and looked at the two woman, a creepy smile plastered on his face. His dark aura was present again and his feelings of wrath were so strong that dark smoke formed on the ground he was standing on, his presence causing the temperature to drop. Streaks of cold steam whipped out and tried to touch the woman's feet. His energy was radiating off him in dark waves that would make any human die instantly. Persephone felt the pulsating waves hit her and she sank down to her knees, blood running down from her nose. In his anger, Hades didn't even notice the impact he was having on his wife and Hecate, who was stumbling and holding onto a chair.

"So. My dear wife has decided to leave me, I see. But don't think I will let that happen, my _love_. You will stay with me until the end of your days and you will never see the earth again, do you understand me?"

His voice was dangerously calm and he laughed darkly as he pulled Persephone up by her neck, like an impudent cat. His touched caused freezer bums on her delicate white neck. He lowered his face close to hers to see the angst in her eyes. Her lips were trembling and stained in blood that was still running out of her nose, but she couldn't answer him. Although Hades was just holding her neck, she felt as if he was strangling her with his bare hands.

"Nothing to say to this? Fine, then I will talk. You can never escape me, you hear me? Never."

"Leave her be, Hades", Hecate muttered lowly, while trying to stand up again.

"You dare to talk back to me!", he yelled back and at his furious gaze, she exploded in a pile of sand.

"Now it's just the two of us, mh? I heard you haven't eaten yet, my dear, another trick of yours, it seems? But it's nothing we can't change..."

He threw her weak body over his shoulder and used the passage to the garden he had recently made. He plucked a pomegranate from the big tree in the middle and threw his wife onto the ground, who was slowly losing consciousness due to the power he still rayed. Pure darkness in it's most horrible and dangerous form and as cold as fluid carbon dioxide.

Hades ripped the pomegranate apart and grabbed a good dozen of the seeds before sitting down on his wife, his knees on her arms, and forcing her mouth open. Before she could react, he shoved one seed after another into her mouth and made her swallow until six seeds had made their way to her stomach. Persephone felt sick due to the force and was about to vomit, but Hades just covered her mouth with his hand and used his fingers to stuff the pomegranate seeds down her throat again, not caring that her skin cracked open at his cold touch.

"Keep your mouth shut and swallow, dumb woman!"

He held her even tighter and was reaching for more seeds to feed her with, just to be careful, when someone jumped onto him and crashed both of their bodies into the ground. Hades was up again within a second and stared at his younger brother.

"How dare you, Zeus! This is none of your business!", he bellowed and tried to shove his brother away to get back to his wife. Demeter hurried to her now unconscious daughter and tried to make her vomit, but it was too late, the seeds were safely in her body. Zeus raised a hand and slapped his brother who burst into laughter; the dark smoke around him lashed out even more and caused the ground to freeze.

"It's too late! She is mine and I will never let her go again!"

Demeter let out an angry sound.

"Have you gone insane now? Look what you did to my poor daughter!", she yelled and stroked Persephone's pale cheeks before lifting her up and carrying her to Hades' palace to take care of her. The Lord of the Underworld himself looked after them, he was so angry that stars were dancing in front of his eyes. Zeus carefully laid a hand his shoulder.

"Brother...calm down, you're freezer burning the ground."

Hades looked down to his feet where the dark smoke was still lingering like carbon dioxide snow. He breathed in and out a few times and the vapour slowly vanished. His head hurt like hell and the stars before his eyes worsened as he stumbled and held onto his brother for support.

"What...", he muttered as he ran a shaking hand through his hair. He remembered what had happened, but it felt like a dream to him, as if he had been in a dizzy state. His eyes widened when he remembered that his wife had fallen unconscious. He stumbled even more when he tried to follow Demeter and Persephone.

"Careful", Zeus muttered and caught him when he nearly fell.

"I would have never thought that, but it seems like you need my help right now...I'll make sure that you won't forget it, but for now we need to get you inside, though..."

Zeus laid one arm around his brother to support him and slowly walked him back to the palace. Hades hated to admit it, but he had used way too much of his power; he felt old and worn-out now. When Zeus wanted to bring him to his chambers, he shook his head.

"No…bring me to my wife, I need to see her."

"Are you sure? She might not want to see you..."

"You are one to say! I don't need to mention the trouble _you_ caused her, right?"

"I'm her father and king, I can do with her whatever I want."

"And I'm her husband. Besides we are in _my_ realm right now, making me the king. Now get me to my wife's rooms, I want to be with her."

Zeus rolled his eyes, but soon later they entered Persephone's rooms. The Queen of the Underworld was laying in her bed with her eyes closed, Demeter by her side and holding her hand. She looked up when the two men entered the room, scolding. Hades staggered over to his wife and nearly fell into the bed next to her. He gently took the hand that wasn't in Demeter's possession and raised it to his lips to kiss it.

"Don't you dare touch her!", Demeter growled and shot him an angry glance.

"She is my wife!"

Zeus rubbed his forehead. Why did he stand up again? He should have stayed in bed, with that sweet girl by his side. She was a curvy beauty with long red hair, a wild kitten who knew a hundred ways to-

"I demand you to leave my daughter right now!", Demeter interrupted his pleasant thoughts. Well, seems like his amazing skills as a judge were asked for.

"Demeter, Hades, both of you will shut up now. Demeter, you come with me and we will let my brother rest. I'm sure we can discuss everything tomorrow."

"But…!", she squealed.

"No. Come now."

Zeus stood up and pulled his sister outside, leaving Hades and Persephone alone in the room. The Lord of the Underworld slid closer to his wife and stroked her hand. He bit his lips when he looked at her face; she was carrying bruise marks on her neck and chin and her whole face was covered in freezing bums. It would heal soon enough, but he was feeling horrible anyway. This was _his_ fault alone, he had severely heard his wife in a fit of anger.

"I'm so sorry, my love", he whispered softly and stroked her cool skin that was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Under the gentle touch of his hands the bruises slowly started to disappear. She let out a soft whimper and her eyes fluttered open.

"Hades?", she muttered in a horse voice. He swallowed and carefully stroked a streak of hair out of her face.

"I'm here...and you can't believe how sorry I am, my dear. I hurt you so much...when I overheard your talk with Hecate...oh my, I think I vaporised her...I just freaked out. I thought I would lose you..."

Persephone swallowed, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Yes, you did", she muttered after a while. Her throat still felt sore from the harsh touch and her skin burned, but it was slowly getting better.

"I can only repeat myself, I'm so sorry for everything I did to you. If I could turn back time, I'd immediately would and let you go. But you ate six seeds..."

"Yes. Hades, I don't know what to say to this...you should have asked me before forcing me to eat the seeds. I missed my mother and looked forward to see her...still I wouldn't have gone with her. I wanted to stay with you either way, but now...now I don't want to stay anymore, now I'm forced to stay."

Her words came slow and husky first, but Persephone already felt herself getting stronger again and her voice returned with every syllable she formed. Hades on the other hand felt his insides grow cold at what he heard. She had wanted to stay with him. His actions had been completely unnecessary and now he had ruined everything because he couldn't control his temper. He slowly sank to his back, his hand sliding off her face. What had he done…

 **What do you think? I'd love to hear your opinion!**


	9. Chapter Eight

**I'm back! Sorry for the delay, I was super busy.**

 _ **Chapter Eight**_

The next morning Persephone's skin was perfectly healed again, but her heart hurt when she looked at the sleeping Hades next to her. She had given him a chance, she had begun to fall for him, but now he had ruined everything with his selfish actions. She let her gaze wander over his features, he looked distressed and as if he had nightmares, but she didn't dare to wake him. She didn't even want to touch him at all, technically she didn't even want to be in the same room with him, afraid that he might turn into the irate monster again.

She stood up and pulled a dressing gown over her chemise – her mother had undressed her before putting her to bed yesterday. While she sat down at her dressing table and combed her hair, she watched the bed behind her in the mirror. Hades had waken up and looked at her back with a mixture of pain and longing.

"I know that you are awake", she said sternly and turned around, wrapping the dressing gown tighter around her body.

"Yes...I didn't want to startle you by talking to you out of the sudden."

"You know what makes me sad? All my life, people have decided over me. My mother locked me in for years, my father forced the innocent girl to become a woman and mother, you forced me to become your wife. I finally wanted to make a decision for myself, but you robbed me of that yet again. I liked the Hades I saw yesterday morning, who sat with me and talked about himself, who listened to a secret I never told anyone about. I liked the Hades who saved me from Tartarus. I liked the Hades who didn't force himself onto me in the wedding night, who was gentle and understanding. But then there's the other side of you, the cold and evil Hades who turned another Goddess to dust without even thinking about it and who strangled and hurt his wife. The selfish Hades. The one that scares me."

Hades felt like a giant weight was pressing down on his chest until he could barely breathe.

"Persephone...I love you..."

"I know. I know that you do, but...I'm scared of you..."

She bit her lips and Hades slowly raised from the bed, his eyes sad. He was still wearing the chiton from yesterday, it was full of wrinkles and had slid off one of his shoulders during the night. He slowly knelt down in front of his wife and carefully took her hand, looking up in all honesty.

"You have no reason to, but please forgive me for everything I have ever done to you. I was selfish, you are right about that, but give me another chance and I'll show you that I can control myself. Please..."

Persephone looked directly into his eyes that showed no sign of coldness. They were worried, desperate and oh so longing. His intense gaze pained her, it pulled at her heart strings, asked her for forgiveness, but as the same time his brain told her to be rational. Hades hadn't been able to control his temper for multiple times now and he would likely threaten her again if she displeased him. She slowly shook her head, pulling her hand away from his touch.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that right now."

Then she turned around and left the room, biting her lip to not let out a sob. Hades looked after her, his heart being shattered into tiny pieces. He had been alone all the time, while no woman wanted to stay with him in this hell hole. All the years he had thought that the darkness and coldness of the Underworld would repel any women. Now he knew better. It wasn't the Underworld. It was him. He slowly went back to the bed and sat down, staring at his shaking hands. Then he did something he had probably never done in all of his long life. He cried.

Two hours later Hades appeared in the throne room where Zeus and Demeter were already waiting for him. He had dressed in a neat black tailcoat, something the humans would only use roughly two thousand years later, his hair combed back. Maybe this would draw the attention off his eyes that were still slightly red and surrounded by dark shadows. His brethren had already sat down at a mahogany table that was so big and impressive that he was sure Zeus had evoked it. He sat down silently and folded his hands in front of himself.

"Alright then", Zeus started.

"You want Persephone to stay here, Demeter wants her to go. What does my daughter want?"

"What does it matter what she wants? Her staying here is no option at all, she's just a little girl, she belongs with her mother!"

"Demeter, our daughter is 34 years old", Zeus muttered with a sigh. Gods stopped ageing at a certain age, but Persephone could definitely not be called a child, even if she was still young, compared to himself and his brethren.

"That doesn't matter, she will always be a little girl!"

"God damn it, Demeter, you need to accept that she is not. She had Zeus' child and she is my wife, she is a grown woman! We should respect her wishes", Hades cut her off.

"Fine, then what _is_ her wish?", Zeus asked.

"...she wants to leave the underworld", Hades muttered lowly and Demeter beat her fist onto the table.

"Ha! There you have it. I'll pick her up and leave then."

She stood up, but Zeus pulled her down again.

"It's not that easy. The marriage still counts..."

"I'm willing to annul the marriage if that's her wish."

"That's kind of you, Hades, but it doesn't solve the problem, she still ate the pomegranate seeds. How many were it again?"

"Six."

"Six...then how about...yes, this could be possible. Six seeds for six months. She will spend half of the year with in the Underworld with her husband, and the other half on earth."

"With her mother", Demeter added.

"If she wants to still be with you, that is. Either way she will move back and forth between earth and Underworld. I think this is the best solution, we tend to the law and you can share her, for all I care."

"Fine! But she will spend the first half year with me", Demeter said with a small grin. She would get her daughter back, that was more than she could have hoped for.

"No, no, she just swallowed the seeds, she can't leave just now. She will spend six more months with Hades and then move back to the earth. This decision is final."

Saying this, Zeus stood up and the table disappeared with a low plop.

"I leave it to you to explain the situation to her. I will go back to the Olympus now, a beautiful woman is awaiting me."

Hades still stared at the spot Zeus had been standing before he disappeared. He didn't know how to feel about the solution Zeus had come up with. He wanted his wife near him, of course, but he wanted her to be happy too. Their last talk had made clear to him that she would never be happy with him. Demeter rushed forward and to the garden, where Persephone was busy growing flowers. All of them were from the earth, so they wouldn't survive for more than a few minutes, but she kept on trying nonetheless.

"Kore, my sweet?", Demeter said softly and smiled at her daughter who turned around immediately.

"Please don't call me Kore, I'm not the Spring Maiden anymore. I'm a grown woman."

Demeter sighed, but nodded.

"Fine, then. We came up with a solution. You will spend half of the year in the underworld and the other half on the earth with me. The circle unfortunately starts with the Underworld, but soon you'll be with me again!"

"Oh, I will? Thank you so much for taking my opinion on this into consideration! I'm so sick of this, everyone makes decisions over my head. But fine, I'm used to nothing else, after all."

"Oh sweet Kore..."

"It's Persephone. And now leave, mother, see you in six months."

Demeter gasped as she was not used to her daughter talking back to her, but before she could say anything, her daughter had left.

"You heard it, Demeter, please leave my realm now", Hades added before following his wife.

Persephone was sitting on her chaise longue with a book when someone knocked and Hades opened the door.

"I know that you probably don't want to see me right now, but there's one thing we need to talk about. Can I please come in?"

"Yes...come here."

Hades sat down next to her and cleared his throat.

"I thought about everything and I decided that it would be best to...to get divorced. You are forced to stay in the underworld, but it doesn't have to be with me. You could be with Hecate, as soon as she has formed again, or Nyx. Or another man, if you want to. Thanatos is not married yet and he would make a good party..."

"Hades...you are doing it again", Persephone interrupted him.

"What am I doing?"

"You don't ask for my opinion. I don't want to divorce from you."

"You...don't? So you'll forgive me?"

"I don't know yet. I'd say let's see what happens."

Hades gave her the smallest hint of a smile.

"Okay...we have six months left, after all. Are you satisfied with the solution Zeus came up with?"

"I don't know. I wanted to leave this place, but now I'm glad that I can stay a little more. I don't want to be my mom's sweet little girl anymore. I'm a woman, not a stuffed animal."

"You don't have to go back to her when you visit earth, you know. You can go to Olympus or wherever you want."

"Yes...I'd love to spend more time with Hestia and get to know the other Gods. But...what about you? You will spend six months alone again."

"I guess this is a mild punishment for hurting you like that."

Persephone ran a hand through her hair.

"I really don't know what to feel anymore, Hades. Every time I think that I could actually like you, you do something to ruin that. This can't go on like that."

Hades stayed silent at the statement, not knowing what to say.

"Maybe it's because you always spent so much time alone?"

"Please don't make me sound pitiable."

"Sorry. I'm just...trying to explain it."

She ran a hand through her hair and Hades slowly laid a hand to her arm.

"There's no need to. You say you need time to think, so that's what you will get. I'll leave you alone now, dear."

Saying this, he squeezed his wife's hand and left, his shoulders hanging. Persephone went back to her garden as this was the place that gave her peace and support, and sat down in the middle of the flowers. She plucked one of them, they would die soon anyway, and stroked the coral coloured petals. Until now she had never missed the chatting, giggling nymphs, but right now she would have given a lot to have them here, to just joke with them. Back then, her biggest problem had been to choose the colour of the flowers she wanted to put into her hair. Her life had been boring, yes, but carefree. Deep in thoughts, she wielded small violets into her hair. She wanted to be happy with Hades, she really did, but he successfully managed to destroy every fond feeling that was growing in her heart.

 **This is a bit of a filler as some things needed to be explained, but the next chapter will be more existing, I promise it! Hint: There's a bossy Nyx in it ; )**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Whoops, I didn't notice how fast time passed! I was super busy and I'm really sorry for the delay, I'll try to update more regularly again.**

 _ **Chapter Nine**_

The days passed while Hades felt himself getting grumpier and grumpier. He buried himself in work to not have to think about the events, but during the nights his dark, angry thoughts came back to torment his soul and cause him nightmares.

He was sitting on his throne, his chin rested on his hand, looking at people's lives and deciding where to put them. His bad mood made it difficult for him to stay unbiased, so he had to concentrate to not punish any innocent people because he felt like it. He was usually stern, yet fair, but right now he was focused on his own problems and the self-pity he was sulking in. He hated himself for what he had done to his wife and dwelt in his feelings of despair and loneliness.

He gestured for the soul in front of him to leave, the young woman who had died of malaria quickly hurried away, confused by the way the man looked at her, as if the world's sorrow was resting on him alone. Before the next person in the row could walk up to him, a beautiful middle-aged woman in a flowing dark dress entered the room and walked up to his throne, her arms crossed.

"You look pitiable", she said while mustering him from head to toe, with eyes that were of such a light silver-grey that her iris was barely visible.

"Thank you very much, dear Nyx. What gives me the honour of one of your rare visits?", Hades asked sarcastically, her disrespectful tone doing nothing for his nerves.

"I'm here because this has to change now. I've watched you during the last days and I have to admit that even Hermes is more charismatic right now while you sit here, all desperate and thinking that you might have lost her."

"Thank you."

"I'm serious, Hades."

" _Lord_ Hades."

"Right now you don't seem much like a lord."

"What does it bother you?"

"I can't stand seeing you like this. I know you since you climbed out of your father's body, covered in blood and with an expression so cold and intimidating that everyone was glad when fate decided for you to rule over the Underworld, as they didn't want to go near you. I was always proud to call you my nephew, but this is simply ridiculous."

"Oh, I didn't know my well-being was so important to you, _auntie_."

Hades clenched and unclenched his fists. He _hated_ being reminded of the fact that there were Gods that were much, much older than him. And being accused of _sulking_! He wasn't some school boy, he demanded respect! Nyx moved closer and snipped his forehead. He growled and jumped up, poking a finger into her face.

"How _dare_ you!"

"Ah, that's the Hades I know! Keep that spirit!"

Hades growled, but slowly sat down again. He wanted to learn to control himself, after all.

"So you came here just to tell me that?"

"Yes. It annoys me to see you so weak and measly, while you, my nephew, should be strong and mighty.

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Fight for her."

"She doesn't want to see me anymore."

"She's had enough time alone. Now go and get her back! Back then, Erebus just pulled me to the bedroom by my hair to win my heart. I'm sure you'll come up with something, but don't spend your days musing and sighing, this doesn't fit you."

Hades nodded slowly while the words sank in. Maybe she was right? He had been rather...hopeless during the last days, but the fight wasn't lost yet. He still had all chances!

"Yes...yes, maybe you are right, Nyx. I thank you."

"Ah, don't thank me, Lord Hades. I just hate seeing weakness, especially on you, the only one among your many siblings I respect. At least a little."

Said Hades straightened his shoulders, stroked his hair back and went out to find his wife. Nyx looked after him, a small smile playing around her lips. She couldn't deny a certain fondness towards her nephew, probably because he was so much like herself – stubborn and determined. She didn't support all of his decisions, for example marrying Persephone in the first place, that's why she hadn't attended the marriage; in her opinion he should have chosen a less troublesome bride from the Underworld, preferably one of her own daughters like Nemesis or Ker, but like herself, nothing could ever change his mind when he had made a decision.

Hades stroked his hair back and let a giant bunch of narcissus grow in his hand as he went to Persephone's garden. The young woman was sitting on one of the lower branches of the pomegranate tree, eating one of the fruits. Hades stopped in front of her and bowed before offering her the flowers.

"My dear...forgive me if I put pressure on you, but you had a few days to think and I would like to know if you can forgive me. I can only repeat how sorry I am, I will do everything to make you feel good."

Persephone looked at her husband for what seemed like an eternity before nodding slowly. She was bound to spend six months with him anyway.

"Okay. But this is the last chance, there won't be another one if you act like that again."

Hades nodded eagerly, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Thank you. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm all fine again."

She jumped down from the branch to look at her husband expectingly.

"Now...what do we want to do now?"

"Whatever you want, I could show you the horses, for example."

"You have four, don't you?"

"Yes. Nykteus, Aethon, Alastor and Orphnaios. They usually pull my chariot."

He offered her his arm and Persephone hesitantly took it. She felt slightly unsure about touching him as the image of him being on top of her and shoving the pomegranate seeds down her throat flashed her mind again, but at the same time she always had to think of his gentle side. He could be so caring and loving, unless you angered him.

Hades guided her to the stables where the horses greeted him with low whinnying. He went to stroke one of the stallion's nose.

"This is Orphnaios. He is the most gentle one of them."

"He's beautiful"

The Queen of the Underworld stepped closer to the horse and touched it's soft nose. The stallion blew his warm breath into her face as an answer.

"Do you want to ride him?"

"Ah...it's been a while since a last rode a horse..."

"He's a good boy, really. He won't throw you off."

Before she could decline, Hades had opened the gate and guided the tall, pitch black stallion outside to bridle him. He could have asked a shade to do that, but he wanted to show his wife that he was...autonomous. Orphnaios stood still and waited patiently as his master offered his hands to Persephone. She put her foot into his folded hands and swung onto the horse's back. Due to her sitting position, her dress slid up and revealed her slim calves. Hades stared at the naked skin and she quickly pulled her dress down again. He cleared his throat and gave her the bridle. She carefully pressed her thighs against the horse's back and Orphnaios started to walk.

Hades watched as his wife urged her horse on and on until she was galloping through the twilight, her hair dancing around her and her cheeks reddened. She looked so carefree and happy, the last time he had seen her like this was with Cerberus. It seemed like he should get more pets to keep his wife entertained…

Finally Persephone stopped the stallion that was breathing heavily by now, still smiling. She swung her legs over to the left side and let Hades grab her waist and lift her down. He stroked her messy hair out of her face, his eyes totally fond.

"See, that's what I mean. That's the Hades I like", she muttered with a small smile.

"And I like to see you smile."

"You are one to talk, your smile is rarer than finding my father without a woman."

Hades ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah…I have to admit that you are right about that. I never...spend much time concentrating on personal entertainment. Before I abducted you, all I ever did was working and sleeping. I'm afraid I need to work again soon too, there is much to do lately.

"Can I visit the horses again?"

"Yes, but please don't ride out alone."

"It's dangerous, I know. I won't endanger myself anymore, I promise it."

"Thank you."

"You know what? I'd love to eat something. Now that I can finally eat again, I can't get enough food."

"Then come, I'm sure lunch is ready already."

They walked to the dining room in silence and sat down as the table was already set.

"Can I ask you a question, Hades?"

"You can ask me anything."

"You are around for quite a while now. Why didn't you decide to marry earlier?", Persephone asked and put food onto her plate, her stomach grumbling already.

"My brothers always told me I should, but...I never met someone like you before. And then I just knew I had to keep you. Another selfish action of mine."

"No, I...I'm not that sad that you abducted me. Otherwise I'd be sitting around with my mother or the nymphs now, giggling and braiding flowers into my hair. That's all we ever did and I have to admit that I was never bored since I know you."

"Hearing that makes me glad."

"So...were there many women before you married me?"

"...are you seriously asking me about my experiences with women now?"

"Yes? No? Ah, I don't know. I just...doesn't matter."

"No, tell me, please."

"To be honest...the thought of you being with other women makes me kind of jealous."

"Jealous? Why that?"

"I don't know. Despite all you're still my husband."

Hades smiled fondly and took her hand over the table.

"I already told you that there's no need to worry. I will not be with other women as long as we are married."

"Isn't that...difficult?"

"I have a better self control than my dear brothers and I love you."

His eyes were so honest that Persephone forgot about the past day for a while. This was the man she liked, the man who always cared about her. She finally started eating and the food tasted amazing after such a long period of not eating anything. She wouldn't have thought that the Underworld food could be so good, but then again it wasn't much like she had imagined it to be in general. Dark and cold, yes, but there were beautiful places like her garden.

"Do you think you could make my garden bigger?", the young Goddess asked after a while.

"Of course, just tell me what you want it to be like and I'll arrange it."

"I would love to have a little pond with fish."

"Then you'll have that. You can have a whole lake too, so that you can swim in it."

"This would be great, actually. I used to swim a lot, back on earth. My mother didn't like it as she was always worried that Helios or Apollo might see me as they passed the sky, so I had to do it secretly."

"Demeter might be strict, but she loves you. I never had a caring mother."

"Your mother is Rhea, right?"

"Yes. An oracle told my father Cronos that his sons would rob him of his powers, so he tried to prevent that by eating his sons right after they were born. I spent my childhood in his stomach until Zeus cut me out."

"That's horrible."

"I never knew anything different. After we had defeated our father, we drew lots to decide who would reign over which realm. Zeus cheated as he desperately wanted the heavens to make him the king of all Gods, Poseidon was happy with the seas, so I got the Underworld. At the beginning I hated my duty with a passion, but as the centuries passed, I got used to it. Judging souls can be tiring, but it is necessary. And I have riches too, that can be quite handy. Zeus or Poseidon could never give you this."

He stretched his closed fist out to his wife and then opened it. In his palm was a beautiful necklace that matched the engagement ring she was still wearing.

"It is very beautiful, thank you. Still I feel bad for not being able to give you anything back."

Persephone was about to close the necklace around her neck, when Hades started laughing. Silent chuckles filled his throat, then he laughed louder and louder, the sound echoing from the bare walls and high ceiling. This went on for a while until he finally calmed down and the laughter died in a low chuckle.

"What is so funny about that?", Persephone asked confused.

"It's just that you said you were not able to give me anything in return. This is not true at all. You might not notice it, but you fill this gloomy place with life and joy. It's as if you were a small light in the darkness that lightens my path. You have no idea what you give me by just being here."

 **Fun fact: I didn't plan for Nyx to be in this at all. I changed the whole chapter completely and divided it as I felt like Hades' reputation was way too fast. I really hope the story doesn't seem rushed anyway, I tend to do that.**

 **Anyway, please leave a review, they always make me happy! (And as it was my birthday a few days ago, this would be a great present!)**


	11. Chapter Ten

**Oh my God, guys, I can't express how sorry I am. I kept you waiting for** ** _months_** **. I was super busy with university and my work, but here's the next chapter, finally! I'm sorry that it's not that long, but I'll publish another one in the next days.**

 _ **Chapter Ten**_

The next day Hades was busy with working, but he made sure to have another surprise gift for his wife. He had changed the garden according to her wishes and planned a little picnic where he would reveal the real surprise. He quickly looked at one soul after another, trying to make up for the last days. The judges did a good job representing him, but they always sent the difficult cases over to him.

The last person he had to take a look at was a young girl. She had died because her parents had neglected her and eventually she had starved. Hades didn't like children that much, but stories like these were the reason why he always kept his heart out of his work He wanted to be stern, yet fair, and not let personal opinions influence his decisions. Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to cope with all the suffering he saw as well. Times were hard and many people died because of war or the famine Demeter had recently caused when the whole harvest died.

The ruler of the Underworld sent the girl to Elysium and stood up from his throne, popping his spine. Sitting all day always strained his back.

He knocked at Persephone's door only minutes later and when she opened, she looked beautiful as always. Clad in a flowing dress of the colour of cornflowers that accented her dark hair she smiled at him.

"Good afternoon. Are you done judging for today?"

"Yes. There was quite a lot to do after I took the last days of, but the judges should be glad that we didn't decide to have a honeymoon and travel around for a few weeks."

Persephone chuckled at the thought as she took her husband's arm.

"I would have loved to see their faces."

"Oh, Minos always gets all red when he's angry. Would you have liked to have a honeymoon?"

"I like travelling around, but right now I can't leave the Underworld anyway..."

"No, but I could visit you when you're back on earth. I usually only ever leave this place during the Winter Solstice, but we could travel around the earth for a while. There are some countries with beautiful flowers, such as tulips or lavender."

"Yes...yes, I would like that."

She smiled and followed her husband to the garden where a big lake had formed. The pomegranate tree was standing right next to it, still glowing and pretty as ever. Koi were swimming in the clear water that nearly asked her to jump into it.

"Do you like it?", Hades muttered at her ear, hunting shivers down her spine, before sitting down on a blanket under the tree. He had ordered one of the shades to get them food too.

"I love it, thank you so much! I really want to swim in it after we ate."

She smiled widely and sat down next to him, eyeing the lake all the time while eating. As soon as they were ready, she walked over to it and stuck a toe into the water. It was warmer than she would have thought. She lifted her dress a little and walked into the water until it reached her knees, chuckling when the Koi nibbed at her toes. Hades watched her with a fond expression.

"I can leave if you want to swim, you know..."

Persephone turned around to her husband, blushing slightly. She had totally forgotten that he was still there.

"Yes...I mean yes, I want to swim, but you don't need to leave. We...we are married, after all, so this will not be indecent. Could you just...close your eyes for a second?"

Her cheeks blushed even more and Hades closed his eyes while she pulled the dress over her head, leaving her in the plain white cloth around her hips that resembled antique underpants. She quickly moved into the water until only her head stuck out before telling her husband to look again. Hades didn't know if he was glad or disappointed when he couldn't see her body through the water – probably a mixture of both. Persephone swam around for a while, surrounded by a group of fish while Hades sat down close by, his eyes always focused on his wife.

"You should come in too!", she said after a while while swimming a little closer to him and for a second Hades could see more than she probably wanted him to see. He quickly looked down to not strain his self control more than needed. Being able to look at a woman but not being allowed to touch her was a very unsatisfying experience indeed.

"No, thank you...I'm not particularly fond of water unless it's in my bathtub."

That wasn't entirely true, he just didn't want to push himself.

"Alright, then close your eyes, I'm coming out!"

Persephone swam back to the shore and pulled her dress over her head. She should have decided for a darker colour today, considering that the fabric hugged her wet body and got transparent. When Hades opened his eyes again, he breathed in sharply and immediately pulled his chiton over his head so she had more and, more importantly, darker fabric to cover her chest. She pulled it over her head too and a tiny voice in the back of Hades' mind told him that he shouldn't have done that as seeing the exact form of her beautiful breasts through the transparent dress had been quite an experience. He quickly thought about something else before the voice could go on about her pink mammillae that stuck out due to the coldness. He cleared his throat before looking at Persephone again whose cheeks were reddened.

"Anyway, there's still a present I'd like to give you."

"Hades...you don't need to give me so many riches, I can't give you anything in return, after all."

"It's not jewellery, don't worry. It's something I just got the idea for as you enjoy the time with my pets. I have to work a lot and I don't want you to be too lonely."

He whistled and a dark brown mare appeared out of nothing and elegantly trotted over to them. She shook her small head and pushed her nose against Persephone's arm.

"Her name is Despina. I hope you find her to your liking."

Persephone smiled widely as she stroked the mahogany brown fur that was nearly exactly the colour of her hair before leaning over to her husband and kissing his cheek.

"Thank you so much, she is truly beautiful."

 **In case you were wondering: I really hate the word nipple, it sounds super gross, so I always use the medical term instead (I'm a medical student). Again, I'm sorry for the chapter being so short, but see (or rather read?) you in a few days!**


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Okay, some people told me that the first version of this chapter was in computer speech. I have no idea what happened there, but I hope it'll work this time!**

 **Enjoy.**

 _ **Chapter Eleven**_

The days and weeks passed; Hades had to care for his duties and they didn't have much time together, but he tried to be around his wife as much as possible, even if it was mostly during the meals. He tried his best to be the perfectly caring and attentive husband either way and fulfil his wife's every wish as good as possible. He feared the time when she would go back to the earth and he would be all alone again.

Now, however, he had to deal with another problem first. The plants were slowly growing again, but in her misery, Demeter had ruined the whole harvest. The humans' supply in food had lasted for a few weeks, but now were becoming less and less and a giant famine endangered all of Greece. Usually Gods wouldn't care much if more or less people died, but to Hades this meant lots and lots of work to do. Giant queues of people congested the entrance to the Underworld, he had to widen the area of the Fields of Asphodel to have enough room for the mass of people.

Hades tried his best to cope with both his work and his private life, but he soon noticed that he would never manage to care for all of the people like this. At the beginning, he just cancelled his breakfast and dinner, then his lunch as well. Persephone was left to eat alone and they hadn't seen each other in days when she decided that it was enough. Worried about her husband, she put a variety of food onto a plate, covered it up and carried it over to the throne room. The King of the Underworld was sitting on his throne, straight and upright as always, with a queue of humans in front of him. He looked at each one for a few seconds, decided where to put them and waved for the next one to come. Persephone waited for him to notice her, but he was too concentrated on judging the people. He looked way too tired, she noticed. He was even paler than usual, apart from the dark shadows under his eyes, and rubbed his neck every now and then, as if his back hurt.

"Time for a break", she said when another human left the room before her husband could wave for the next one. Hades looked up, frowning.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to support my husband, what else."

She moved over to him and placed the plate in his lap before sitting down on her throne and waving for the next human. A young girl approached her, looking at her with unsure eyes.

"Persephone, you can't do that. The things you might see are way too horrible and you don't even know how to do it", Hades said and stood up with the plate in his hand. His wife pursed her lips at him.

"I'm the rightful Queen of the Underworld, I see it as my duty to help you. Please take a rest and eat now, I'll make it. It can't be that difficult, after all."

"I really don't want to put this weight onto your shoulders..."

"I'm not a child, remember? So go and rest now. Please."

She looked at him with her light green eyes and Hades felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Her gaze alone gave him new strength, but at the same time there was a certain determination in it. He knew that he would regret it, but sat down again and started to eat while Persephone concentrated on the girl in front of her. When their eyes met, she felt as if someone whirled her around and all of the sudden, the girls life passed by in front of her eyes in high speed. She somehow knew that the girl's name was Pagona Nikopolidou. She was the youngest of four children and had experienced a happy life on her parents' farm. They had never had much money and when the famine came over the country, she and one of her elder brothers had starved. The video lasted only for a few seconds, but Persephone felt like it had been an eternity. She blinked and looked at Hades who was just biting into a fresh bun. He chewed and swallowed before giving her a gentle smile.

"Send her to Elysium."

She nodded and ordered the girl to do so after taking a bath in the river Lethe. Lethe erased the people's memories completely to ensure that they could enjoy their live in Elysium. The girl smiled at her and hurried outside.

The next one to be judged was a young man who had recently married. Persephone blushed deeply when she saw much more of his private life with his wife than she had wanted, but the pictures couldn't last long in her mind, as soon the next person emerged from the never ending row of people. Old men who had had a successful life and died surrounded by their family, as well as family fathers and children. She sent most of the middle aged people to the Grounds of Asphodel and the children to the Elysium, unless they decided to be born again and try and reach the Isle of the Blessed, but there were more than enough criminals too. Thieves who had tried to escape the famine by stealing food, but some murderers too. The case of a teenager who had raped and killed every female family member haunted shivers down her spine, but Persephone continued to do her work until Hades gently touched her shoulder. He looked a little better now, but still too tired.

"Dear, you should stop now. It's already evening."

"Oh? I lost every track of time..."

"It's always like that. How are you feeling? Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm a bit tired now, but it's fine. I'd love to help you out more often, you can't do all of this alone."

"Dear, this is my job."

"And _my_ job is to support my husband and rule over the Underworld with you, if I remember correctly. Tomorrow we will both take a day off and ride out after that I'll help you again to make up for it."

Hades wanted to decline, but then just smiled. A part of him felt flattered because his wife cared about him and he did miss spending time with her too…

"You are right, thank you for your help."

"Good, then let's go to bed now."

She hesitated for a few seconds before talking Hades' arm and walking to his bedroom with him. She felt weird admitting him, but she had missed him during the last weeks. Hades was pretty much her only companion right now, after all. Hecate had formed again a few days after being turned to ashes, but she wasn't too fond of them now and preferred to stay alone.

Persephone stepped behind the room divider to change into her nightgown and found Hades frowning at her when she sat down on the bed to open her hair.

"You want to sleep here tonight?"

"Yes. Don't ask me why, I just...the last days were lonely and I kinda...missed you."

Hades chuckled fondly and pulled his chiton over his head, leaving him in underwear.

"I can only say the same, my dear. Does that mean you forgave me my...fit of anger?"

"...yes."

"Then I can only say thank you", Hades muttered with a small smile and laid down on his side of the bed, her statement making him happier than he had been during the last weeks. Persephone would have loved to say that missing human company was her only reason for being here, but that was not the case. Before his outburst she had begun to fall for him and now that he was doing his best to make up for it, she felt her feelings for him grow stronger again. The last days without him had helped her to come to this conclusion, whether she wanted it or not. And they were married, after all, having feelings for your spouse was only right. They both stayed at their own side of the bed, but Hades was thankful nonetheless. He felt more at ease with Persephone by his side, plus his lack of sleep was still prominent, so he fell asleep quickly.

When he awoke in the morning, Persephone was still sleeping. He looked at her delicate face and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Even in her sleep she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, her rosy lips were slightly parted and she wrinkled her nose at his touch. He sighed lowly and took his hand back, but didn't stop studying her face.

"If you only knew how happy I am to have you here", he muttered lowly and carefully touched her finger tips. Persephone grinned and opened one eye to look at him.

"Oh, you are?"

"You are awake?"

"Yes, if you're tickling my face."

"I'm sorry for waking you up."

"It's fine, I usually never sleep long anyway. You look better than yesterday, less tired. It honours you that you are so responsible, but you shouldn't forget yourself in the process."

Hades grinned mischievously, what made him look like a little boy. Persephone thought that it would be better to not tell him that.

"Why should I? I have a wife to make sure that I am well cared about, after all."

She chuckled and elbowed him gently, causing him to laugh too until they were both sitting in their bed, giggling. Hearing Persephone laugh was as if the sun had suddenly appeared on a gloomy day. Hades slowly rose his hand to touch her cheek again, stroking her soft skin with his fingers.

"You are so beautiful, Persephone...", he said softly and his wife smiled, her cheeks flushing.

"I wouldn't have thought that I'd ever say this, but hearing that feels good."

Hades' expression softened even more, his eyes running over her face and stopping on her pink lips.

"Dear...would you let me kiss you?"

Persephone blinked surprised, but nodded. She was actually curious about how it would feel as the only time they had kissed had been in their wedding night and she had been so scared that there had been no room for anything but her fear. Besides her feelings had changed since then. Hades slowly leaned closer and laid his lips onto hers, this thumb still stroking her cheek. Persephone closed her eyes as she felt like this was the right thing to do, a shiver running down her spine. Hades' lips carefully moved on hers and she felt a pleasant, prickly feeling in her tummy. After a few second he broke the kiss, but their noses were still touching and Persephone could feel his warm breath on her face. She smiled, laying one hand to his neck.

"This feels good..."

Hades just grinned and leaned in to kiss her again. He had waited for this for way too long…

Persephone moved her hand from his neck to his hair, she combed her fingers through the shiny locks, caressing his scalp with her nails. He let out a pleased sound and kissed her forehead one last time before standing up. His wife looked somewhat displeased, he noticed with a small smile. His beautiful wife enjoyed kissing him, despite all that had happened and this gave him quite some satisfaction.

"I'll take a bath now, you still wanted to ride out, after all."

"Alright, I'll go to my own room then and take a bath as well. See you in one hour?"

Hades nodded and was about to enter the bathroom when a hand on his arm stopped him. He turned around again and Persephone tiptoed to give him another kiss before leaving the room, smiling.

"This woman", he muttered and ordered the shade that usually served him to prepare a bath.

Persephone returned to her room, her thoughts all fuzzy. Ilea was letting water into her bath tub while she searched through her dresses. She wanted to look good today, to impress Hades. Oh dear, she would have never thought that her way of thinking could ever change so much. Finally she decided for a short, light green dress. She was sure that she would regret her choice later as she had never worn a dress that showed her legs, but then again her husband was the only one to see her and her mother wasn't there to judge her.

Ilea helped her to wash herself and afterwards braided her hair and pinned it up.

"Can you apply some make up too, please?", Persephone asked. Ilea nodded, grinning to herself, and applied just the slightest bit of charcoal to her eyes, and a light lipstick. She was sure that Hades – being a man – wouldn't even notice that his wife was wearing make up, but it surely accentuated Persephone's beauty. Afterwards she helped her into the dress, smiling at the sight.

"You look very beautiful, my queen! I'm sure Lord Hades will appreciate it. Not that he doesn't already, but now you look truly stunning."

"Thank you very much. I want him to...be proud that I'm his wife."

"He is, you can be sure of that!"

Ilea smiled softly and applied good smelling oils to Persephone's neck.

"All done, my Queen!"

Persephone stood up and swirled around in front of the mirror. Seeing her legs being revealed like that caused her cheeks to blush, so she quickly left the room and hurried over to the dining room before she could change her mind and put on something else.

Hades was sure that his wife was not able to look anything but pretty, but seeing her now made his jaw drop.

"Dear, you look...truly stunning", he muttered when he finally found words, his eyes glued to her slender legs. Persephone blushed deeply, playing with her sleeve.

"Thank you. Do we want to have breakfast now?"

"...yes...yes, of course."

He forced himself to look up and into her eyes. Seriously, was it possible that they were even bigger and prettier than usual? He offered his arm to her wife and guided her to the table, chivalrously pulling the chair out for her. When he sat down, his gaze was still fixated on her, it trailed over her small waist, her slender shoulders and back to her eyes, making Persephone chuckle and blush even more.

"I should probably change my outfit, otherwise you might forget to eat and starve."

"Mh, excuse me? Oh...sorry for staring at you like that. I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable, I'm just a bit...overwhelmed."

"I know, the dress is nothing my mother would approve of."

She smiled crooked and started eating to have something else to concentrate on. Hades did his best to not stare at her too obviously, but he was still flabbergasted. Persephone didn't even know what kind of thoughts she was putting into his mind right now.

"So you want to ride out today?", Hades broke the silence after a while.

"Yes, or something else. I just want to spend some time with you again. I know that there's a famine going on, but seriously, Zeus and Poseidon put their private life before their duties all the time, so you have every right to take a day off as well. Besides I am planning to help you again tomorrow, maybe we can manage it together."

"Are you sure about that? You might see very horrible things."

"I am. I want to help you, I want to support you."

"Thank you, my dear."

 **I really hope that you liked it, I did my best to make this chapter all sweet. I feel like Persephone is forgiving Hades too fast, but I had no idea about how to slow this process down. I kinda liked the idea of Pers helping her husband out in times of famine and war, that's why I put it into this chapter. What do you think about it?**  
 **Also, I have bad news for you: I'll travel to Spain tomorrow and won't be able to update during the next three weeks :/**  
 **I hope you can be patient with me, for your support makes me really happy.**  
 **See you in three weeks!**  
 **Scarlett xoxo**


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Oh my gosh, I'm so, so sorry for the delay! I hope I can make up for it with the following chapter. It contains an intimate scene; nothing too graphic, but I still felt super awkward while writing it. I hope it's okay.**

 _ **Chapter Twelve**_

Persephone wouldn't have thought that sitting on a giant throne, watching what had happened in people's lives and deciding where they would spend their afterlife could be so tiring, but after a few days of working side to side with her husband, she felt more tired than ever before. Hades constantly asked her if she really felt comfortable with helping him, but she didn't want to admit just how weary she felt; she wanted to be the perfect wife for him after they had cleared their problems. She queue of people waiting for their judgement got smaller each day that passed and three weeks later their had nearly pulled through the whole wave of death. Of course people didn't stop dying, but it had reached a normal level now, and the judges nearly managed to cope with it alone, with Hades helping them until noon, so he could spent the rest of the day with his wife. It was probably unfair to transfer most of the work to Minos, Rhadamanthus and Aecus, but then again he was a God while they were his...employees. Although he didn't pay them for their work, of course. Persephone was secretly glad when her help was no longer needed and she was able to read or tend to her garden during half of the day and pick up Hades for the afternoons.

On this day she changed into a white dress and her unobtrusive make up – she had found a liking in it – and let Ilea pin up her hair anew before meeting her husband. She never put much effort into her looks in the morning as her plants surely didn't care, her husband however...he would never admit it, but Persephone knew that he really liked it when she dressed up for him.

When she entered the throne room, she noticed a young, very handsome man in front of Hades. He wasn't one of the shades but a living being with pale skin and chestnut coloured hair that hang around his face in messy curls. A pair of equally brown wings was folded on his back. When he heard her, the man turned around and bowed deeply, making his curls dance.

"I greet you, my queen. It's a pity we haven't met, my name is Thanatos and I guide the dead to the Underworld."

He smiled at her and Persephone couldn't help but be fascinated. She knew he was the God of death, but he looked so...friendly. He had a handsome face with dimples and big brown eyes, he was a person you looked at and immediately trusted. A handsome teddy bear with the kindest eyes she had ever seen. She was sure that he could loosen up dark atmospheres by just being there.

"You are the God of death, aren't you? How come you look so..."

"Friendly? Oh, that's because I'm the God of the peaceful death. I visit everyone who dies untroubled. My sisters, the Keres, take care of everyone who suffers a violent death, on the battlefield, for example. I don't like that. I can't see blood."

He smiled like a little boy until Hades cleared his throat.

"Thanatos usually stays by the gates with Cerberus, he hands the shades over to Charon, so you didn't meet until now."

"Yeah, I wasn't even invited to your wedding!"

"You weren't? I thought you invited every God of the Underworld and they all declined", Persephone said, looking at her husband curiously. Hades cleared his throat.

"Yeah, most of them were invited."

Thanatos pouted, but then smiled again; he wasn't one to be sad for longer than a few seconds.

"I would have loved to see you in your wedding dress, my queen! I'm sure you looked stunning."

"She did indeed. Anyway, don't you have work to attend to? I'm sure there are still people waiting for their death."

The God of death sighed and clapped Hades shoulder before kissing Persephone's hand.

"See you again sometime, my queen!"

He vanished, leaving a few feathers behind that slowly fell onto the ground. Persephone looked at her husband with an amused expression.

"Could it be that you don't like him? Or why wouldn't you invite him to our marriage?"

"That's not it.."

"But?"

"You may have noticed that he is very charming and naturally likeable. You can't not like him."

He purposely avoided his wife's eyes.

"And…?"

"And I didn't want you to meet him because I was worried you would instantly fall in love with him. I knew that you didn't want to marry me either way, but it would have been even more difficult if you were in love with another man. Satisfied now?"

Persephone stared at him for a few seconds, speechless. Then she started to laugh, loud and heartedly. Hades next to her ran a hand through his hair, not knowing what to say. It was true, it had worried him that she would prefer Thanatos over himself, he was charming, young and had a friendly charisma, something that he could never be able to keep up with, being the grumpy, dark looking ruler he was. His wife's laughter died in a chuckle and she gently cupped his cheeks, still grinning.

"So you want to tell me that you were jealous."

"Yeah."

"Well...he has wings, that's quite cool..."

Hades looked at her with a displeased expression.

"But then again having a king as your husband is way more impressive. Besides I'm giddy enough for two, I guess I would be annoyed by his carefree nature after a while. And I never liked curls on men."

She reached up to place a long kiss to his lips, her hands stroking his cheeks. When she leaned back, the grumpy expression on his face had faded.

"Hades?"

"Mh?"

"I love you."

Slowly a wide smile spread over his face; Persephone had never seen him smile like that, he looked as if he had just won the lottery and pulled her close, his nose buried in her hair.

"Thank you..."

Persephone chuckled lightly while stroking his back and enjoying his warmth. She closed her eyes, a soft sigh emerging from her lips. Hades ran his nose over her neck, placing sweet kisses over her creamy skin. Persephone lifted an eyebrow when he gently sucked a mark into her skin, all too eager out of the sudden. It was not that she didn't enjoy it, on the contrary; it simply amused her how these three words had boosted his resolution to take the next step. He was usually holding back a lot to let her decide the pace and not make her feel uncomfortable. She let out a low moan when Hades' lips reached a sweet spot somewhere between her ear and neck. He nibbled and caressed the area, his hands wandering down her back. Persephone let it happen for a while before gently shoving him away, her skin still prickling after his touch. His eyes had noticeably darkened, but he immediately stepped back.

"I'm sorry I got carried away."

"I enjoyed it, but...not here. We are in the throne room..."

Her cheeks blushed slightly as she looked around, to see if there was anyone who might have watched them. Hades nodded while taking her hand. He didn't want to push her in any way, but he wanted his wife. He had wanted her from the first second he saw her and now they were married since two months and she had been sleeping in his bed for the past three weeks. He pushed his needs aside and tried to focus on the here and now.

Persephone squeezed his hand while guiding him to her garden, she had recently developed a new flower and was eager to show it to him. It was a new kind of water lily, it was of a bright red colour and glowed in the dark. A few of them were already growing in her pond, but she hadn't wanted to make too many, she still wanted to swim in the water, after all.

"Look!", she said, pointing at the big blossoms with a smile.

"They look very pretty, but something is missing..."

Hades closed his eyes for a second and all of the sudden, golden ornaments appeared on the blossom, creating an exotic pattern. Persephone smiled as she took a closer look at the flowers, they indeed looked even prettier now.

"Now they're truly perfect", she muttered, glad to work with her husband.

They spent the rest of the day sitting in the garden, chatting, and Hades had to admit to himself that he would have never thought his life could change so drastically. He had wanted a wife to brighten up his life, but he would have never believed he could actually be that happy. His brothers had been right for once, although he was sure that they had never felt so comfortable with their wives, otherwise they wouldn't regularly cheat on them.

Finally they stood up and returned to the palace. In the beginning Persephone hadn't noticed it, but there was indeed some kind of day night rhythm in the Underworld. The nights were even colder than the days and somehow even gloomier as well. Hades had one arm wrapped around his wife's waist in a comfortable way while the used the passage to the castle. The shades had already prepared dinner for them so they could sit down right away. Persephone had come to like pomegranates, the seeds of the Underworld, quite a lot, even if they had caused much trouble.

When they had eaten up, she followed her husband to their chambers to get ready for the night. She changed into her nightgown and laid down next to him; Hades wanted to kiss her goodnight as usual, but she held him close to continue their kiss. Acting upon that invitation, he moved closer, one hand in her delicate neck. Persephone smiled fondly and broke the kiss to kiss his cheek instead. Remembering his actions from the afternoon, she ran her lips down to his neck, surprise at how soft his skin felt. Hades let out a slow sound and this urged her on to kiss his neck and throat; she definitely wanted to hear him make more of these sounds. Blushing when he moaned softly, she went back to kissing his lips. Hades thought he was going insane when she ran her nails over his scalp and in one swift motion pushed her into the sheets. His wife let out a low 'oomph', but didn't complain, so he dared to to take the next step forward and shoved a finger under one strap of her nightgown before slowly sliding it down her shoulder. He looked at Persephone with a questioning look, but she just smiled and pulled him down for another kiss. She ran her hands over his clothed chest with feather light touches, a part of her displeased that he was still wearing his chiton.

"Would you...would you remove the chiton, please?", she asked shyly, her cheeks reaching an even deeper shade of red. Hades couldn't help but grin as he pulled the chiton over his head and threw it off the bed, more than happy about the fact that the women he loved wanted to see him. Persephone leaned closer, fascinated. She had seen him shirtless before, but never from such a close distance. She curiously ran her fingertips over his chest and down to his abs, intrigued with the way her fingers rose and fell as she followed the line of his muscles and down to his navel. Her husband was definitely pleasant to look at with his marble white skin and toned body. Hades watched as she slowly explored his body, a small smile gracing his face. He had waited for this for months now. He really couldn't understand his brothers, seeing this beautiful woman in front of him adoring his body and enjoying his kisses and touches was so much better than forcing himself on women just like that. He pulled Persephone close again to kiss her lips, her cheeks, her forehead. She giggled lowly when his hair tickled her as it surrounded her face like a curtain. She gently ran her fingers through the shiny black locks, then over his naked back. They stopped right above the cloth that was wrapped around his hips, not daring to rid him of the last piece of fabric he was wearing.

"Can I undress you too?", Hades muttered into Persephone's ear. He received a small nod and pulled her dress down completely, being rewarded with the beautiful sight of her naked breasts. A new blush crept to her cheeks, so her husband leaned over her again to kiss her again and give her more confidence.

"You are so beautiful, my love", he said with a soft smile, running a hand over her flat tummy, followed by his eager lips. Persephone buried his hands in his hair again, a pleasant shiver running down her back while a low moan escaped her lips. Hades hooked a finger under the cloth around her hips before looking up at her.

"Are you sure that you want this? We can still stop now."

"No...I'm sure."

She gave him a smile, looking more beautiful than ever before with her heated face and slightly messy hair. Hades placed another peck on her lips before getting rid of both of their last clothes. Persephone looked at him, surprised and a bit unsure.

"Will it hurt?"

"Not if you really want it and relax", Hades muttered, kissing her neck again.

"I do want it. I want you to...make me yours."

Her words were enough to make him moan; Hades leaned down to kiss her knee, his hands gently stroking her thighs. Finally they would really be wife and husband.

 **Yeah, that's it. I have written two more chapters and more is in the making. This time I'll update faster, I promise it!**


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**I'm back, as promised! We're slowly getting closer to the end, there will be about 3-4 more chapters, I guess. Depends on how much more ideas I'll develop XD. The content in this chapter wasn't planned when I started to write the story, one of your lovely reviews gave me the idea for this. I hope you'll like it!**

 **Oh, and sorry for typos (more typos than usual, that is); I'm super tired while typing this *laugh***

 ** _Chapter Thirteen_**

The next morning Persephone awoke with her head on Hades' chest. Her husband was still deeply asleep, so she took the chance to look at his sleeping form. He looked so peaceful now and the memories of seeing his face in pure bliss last night caused a smile on her face. She stroked his cheek before standing up and walking over to the bathroom to go to the toilet. She felt a bit sore down there, but it was nothing too bad.

Hades awoke when he heard the door open and looked around to find the bed next to himself empty. Worried, he stood up and knocked at the bathroom door.

"My dear, are you in there? Is everything alright?"

Persephone opened the door with her hair brush in her hand, still naked. Hades noticed a small hickey on her neck and suppressed a grin.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just needed to go to the toilet."

"But you are not hurt, are you?", he asked, stroking her bare shoulder.

"I'm all fine, don't worry. I just feel like I need a bath."

"We could bath together, you know?"

Persephone bit her lip and he quickly added: "It doesn't need to be together together, your body is probably a bit...exhausted from yesterday, we could just sit down in the tub together, if you want to."

"Yes, I'd like that."

Hades snipped his finger and Ilea appeared to prepare their bath. Persephone blushed, but her husband didn't care about his nakedness, he kissed her neck and stepped into the water as soon as Ilea was done.

"Can I do anything else for you, Lord Hades and Lady Persephone?"

"Yes, you can get our breakfast here, we'll be eating here today", Hades answered and wrapped his arms around his wife who sat down before him in the tub. The shade nodded and disappeared. The Lord of the Underworld placed his hands on Persephone's shoulders and gently massaged her muscles. She sighed softly, leaning into his touch.

"So I need to sleep with you to get a massage?", she asked jokingly, her eyes closed. Hades smirked and continued, knowing exactly what he was doing.

"I thought you knew that was part of the deal? Marry me and you'll get expensive jewellery, sleep with me for additional back massages."

"I see. I wonder what's going to await me in the future then."

"Oh, there are quite some pleasant things I can show you..."

"You are quite experienced, aren't you? Coming to think of it, you never answered my question regarding the women you were with."

"...I'm not a Saint, but I can't be compared to my brothers either, if that answers your question."

"It does, yes. I'm so glad that you're mine and mine alone."

"Always."

He rested his chin on her wet shoulder, sighing satisfied. Persephone reached back to cup his head and carress his scalp. One year ago, she wouldn't have been able to imagine this. She had been a stupid girl, naive and childish. Now she was a grown woman, she was married, she was a queen and she didn't depend on her mother anymore. She chuckled at the thought of what her mother would think if she could see her now, bathing with her husband, probably happier than Demeter had ever been.

"What's so funny?", Hades asked while kissing her neck and shoulders.

"Oh, I'm just thinking about my mother. She would throw a tantrum if she knew that her sweet little Kore has lost the last bit of her innocence. Well...to be exact, I already lost it years ago, but..."

"But now you wanted it."

"Yes. After what Zeus did to me, I thought, I could never be close to a man. He caused me so many nightmares, so many worries. You know, sometimes I still think about my son, Zagreus. He should be about four years old now...sometimes I ask myself if he has the same abilities I do, if he looks like me."

Hades behind her shuffled and cleared his throat.

"You know...there's something I have never told you. I...I know Zagreus."

Persephone turned around, frowning.

"Why that? Did Zeus introduce him to you?"

"No...Pers...I know him because he is dead."

For a few seconds, she just stared at him. Then she swallowed visibly, her expression empty.

"Why?"

"Hera sent her troops to eliminate him. He died eight months ago. He's at the Elysium now."

"He...oh..."

She ran a hand through her hair. Her son was dead. She had never been able to love him properly, but still. She had never wanted him dead, it was not his fault that he had been born. A little boy, who had never meant any harm to anyone.

"Zeus...Zeus promised me to take care of him..."

She swallowed again, her eyes filling with tears all of the sudden. Zeus had not kept him safe like he had promised it and now the little boy was dead, slayn by the hands of a jealous wife who never cared about any consequences, who was cruel enough to kill a toddler without even blinking. Persephone didn't even know what to think now. Wasn't crying for her lost son mere hypocrisy? Then again, she had carried him under her heart, she had wanted a good life for him. A life that wasn't connected to hers, but a safe life, for sure. Hades sighed and pulled her close.

"I'm sorry, dear. I should have told you about him right away..."

"It's okay, it's just...I trusted Zeus to take care of him. If I had kept him safe myself, he would probably be alive still. It's my fault..."

"No. It's not. You did not conceive him willingly, nobody can blame you for not loving him."

"My mother did not conceive me willingly either, but she loves me..."

"You are not your mother, Pers. You thought he would be save, that Zeus could not keep his promise is not your fault. You can't be blamed for anything, you listen to me? You did your best."

He cupped her face, his thumbs gently stroking her cheeks.

"Can I...meet him?"

"Yes...he's a shade, but...yes, you can meet him. I'll guide you there after breakfast."

"Thank you..."

In silence, Persephone washed herself and quickly left the tub. It pained Hades to see his wife like that, she had been so happy, but now...he shouldn't have told her about Zagreus at all, why could he never do anything right?

A fine breakfast was awaiting them in their bedroom, but the Queen of the Underworl wasn't hungry. She felt empty, lost even. Hades urged her to eat at least a little, but in the end he gave up and just dressed silently. Maybe it would help her to see her son? Or it would just worsen the situation, Zagreus was just a shade, after all. Who knew. He tied his hair back and took his wife's hand, locking their fingers before guiding her to the Elysium. The closer they got, the worse Persephone felt. Why did she only now, when she knew that her son would never be granted a happy, fulfilled life, feel some motherly kind of affection? She had never thought much about him. Of course he had sneaked into her mind every now and then, but she was good at pushing these thoughts away. After Zagreus had been born, she had decided to give her best for him, to at least act as if she loved him and never let him feel how unwanted he was actually. She had given him over to Zeus all too gladly, happy to get rid of him and every responsibility she held.

"We're there", Hades said softly and caused her to snap out of her thoughts.

"Who...who is he?"

"The shade over there. The one with the red hair."

The hair wasn't really red, of course, as the little toddler who was playing with toy blocks was half translucent, but it was as close to red as possible. They were standing next to a small hut. A female shade approached them and bowed deeply. Hades just nodded and gave her a sign to come with him while his wife stared at the young boy. She swallowed and slowly knelt down next to him. The boy looked up and looked at her with translucent green eyes.

"Can I help you, Miss?"

"No, I just...came to visit you."

"Oh. What's your name then?"

"Persephone."

"That's a pretty name. My name is Zagreus."

"You are a very polite young man, Zagreus."

"I know. Mommy says it's important to be polite."

"Mommy?"

"Yes, the woman over there. I guess I head a mommy back when I was still alive. But then I died and came here and now I have a new mommy."

It clenched Persephone's heart that he talked about his own death so nonchalantly.

"Are you happy with your new mommy? Does she care for you?"

"Yes! She is a good mommy. I was alone, but now she's there. She plays with me all day long! And she reads stories to me. I love her a lot."

Persephone clenched her teeth to suppress new tears from coming. This was her boy, her Zagreus. Unwanted by her, he had obviously found happiness in his afterlife. She couldn't help but thank the woman inwardly. She was giving him what she should have, but couldn't. She loved him.

"I'm glad that you are so happy here, Zagreus. You know...I knew your mother, back on earth. She wasn't able to care for you like your new mother does, but...she would be glad to see you that happy."

"You knew her? How was she?"

"Young. Naive. Credent. But she would be proud to see that you are a fine young gentleman now. You have her eyes."

"Oh...if you ever see her again, tell her that I'm not mad at her. I'm happy!"

She nodded, a small smile gracing her face. She stroked his head once before standing up and walking over to Hades who was already waiting for her. He grabbed her hand and kissed it gently.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. He told me he was happy here..."

"So there's no need for you to feel guilty. He has a woman who deeply cares about him."

"Yes...why is that?"

"Well, she died without being able to have children on her own. When she came her, she kind of adopted him. Someone has to care for the younger shades, after all."

"He can't remember his human life, can he? He can't remember that his real mother never bothered to visit him."

"He can't. He drank from the river Lethe."

"Good. I never want him to know that he is my son."

"Of course. Will you visit him again?"

"No. Now I know that he is alright and I think it will be best for both of us if we don't see each other again. He doesn't know me anyway, he will not miss me. And I...want to round off with it, finally."

Hades nodded and pulled her close to kiss her forehead.

"You will make it, dear, I'm sure of that. Just..."

"Yes?"

"Do you regret not being able to have children with me now?"

"No, my opinion about this hasn't changed. I still don't want children, I'm just glad that my boy is fine and happier here than he could have ever been with me."

 **Did you like it? I'd love to hear your opinion. The next chapter will be up soon!**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Wow, it's been over one month again, I'm so sorry! I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas time with your families. If it`s already 2019 for you, I hope you had a great start into the new year too (As you might know I'm from Germany and it's still the 31st of December while I publish this). Consider this new chapter as a belated Christmas gift from my humble self.**

 **Thank you for the lovely reviews, by the way!**

 _ **Chapter 14**_

Persephone and Hades didn't talk about Zagreus again. The weeks and months passed and they were both glad to continue their happy life together, without any unpleasant events or memories that could influence their happiness. Persephone grew more and more into her role as the Queen of the Underworld. Yes, she was still the Spring Goddess, but she was a ruler too. After a while she started, much to Hades' amusement, to wear a black crown that was adorned with emeralds and had flowers braided around it, to suit her double role.

As the time passed, the autumn in the human world that was caused by Persephone's absence faded into winter, it started to snow and the time of the winter solstice came. Hades didn't look forward to this event at all, he liked being in the Underworld. Moreover, he _loved_ the way he and his wife ruled together in peace. Just the two of them in union, without anyone bothering them. Without any annoying Gods pestering their…

Thud.

With a grin, Nyx appeared in Hades' bedroom, where he was sitting in front of Persephone's dressing table and tying his hair back. His wife was still in the bathtub and what could he say, the light in front of her dressing table was exquisite and the big mirror was quite handy too.

"Does your wife know that you sit in front of her mirror like a little girl?", Nyx asked cockily while sitting down on their bed.

"No. And you better not tell her, otherwise you might regret it."

"Now, now, is that the right way to treat your beloved aunt?"

"What do you want, Nyx?"

"I came to tell you that I'm proud of you, Hades. After you were drowning in miserable self-compassion, I thought you would never recover, but you did not only manage to get her back, but to keep her too. Two months have passed without you ruining it again."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Yes. I'm proud of you, really. And I have to admit that I was wrong. I thought that Persephone would be the wrong choice, that she would be too young and naive for you, but you two proved me wrong. She is the best queen the Underworld could have asked for and I am glad to see you finally happy, nephew."

"I'm glad that you think so. We have not met each other yet, but Hades told me about you. Let me introduce myself properly", Persephone said, who came back from the bathroom in that second. She was only dressed in a plain dressing gown and her hair was wet, but when she bowed in front of Nyx, she looked as elegant as only a queen could. Nyx smiled softly and pulled her close.

"Come here, child. I wouldn't have thought it, but you make my nephew happier than anyone else could. Thank you for that, he deserves to be happy."

Persephone smiled and took her husband's hand.

"He makes me happy too."

Nyx sighed, in a reminiscent mood.

"You two are so cute, you remind me of Erebus and myself, all those years ago. I wish you the best. And now...enjoy your day at Olympus. Persephone, please make sure that my dear nephew has a good time. He tends to be a little grumpy, especially around his brothers."

"Of course."

"Good. See you later, then."

Nyx hugged Persephone again and kissed her nephew's cheek before disappearing.

"She drives me crazy...", Hades muttered while leaving his place in front of the mirror.

"I think she is lovely. She really cares about you."

"Yes, yes. You should hurry now, dear, or we will be late."

"I thought you don't look forward to seeing your wicked family again?"

She sat down and started to comb her wet hair.

"I don't, that's right. Do you think you can handle meeting Zeus again?"

"Yes, I'm over it. Besides you are here to protect me and I'm sure that you are stronger than him."

Hades grinned, obviously feeling honoured at that statement.

"I am."

"Well then, my strong husband. I am looking forward to seeing my mother again too. I'll probably regret saying that after I've been with her for ten minutes, but right now I can't wait to see her."

Hades just nodded and watched how his wife dried her hair, powdered her face and put on proper clothes, as always fascinated by her grace. Her thick red hair, the elegant line of her neck, her luscious lips. His wife was pure perfection and nothing less.

"Pers?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, dear."

Thirty minutes later, the queen was finally ready to go and they arrived at Olympus, arm in arm. Hades squinted his eyes at the bright gold light that hit him. Ugh, that was one of the reasons he hated coming here. Everything was so bright, so awfully forced happy and joyful. Persephone next to him gave his arm a light squeeze and walked over to the cheering Gods. The party had already started and Persephone noticed that for the first time, she would attend a fest without her mother forcing her to stay inside with Hestia babysitting her.

"Kore!", Apollo nearly yelled and rushed up to her with two glasses of ambrosia.

"Hello, Apollo. Please call me Persephone, I'm not a maiden anymore."

The young God gave her his best 27 million degrees Fahrenheit smile.

"Ahhh yes, you are married now, after all. You can't be a maiden anymore with _Hades_ being your husband."

He gave the dark God a smug smile.

"Hi, uncle."

Hades just stared at him and Apollo shoved one of the glasses into Persephone's hand.

"Come with me, let's go to the fun people. Lord Gloomy doesn't want to have fun anyway."

Before she could protest, Apollo had pulled her over to a group of other Gods, among them were Aphrodite and Dionysus. Oh dear. Hades looked after her with an expression as if his teeth hurt and got himself a glass of Ambrosia as well. He was actually planning to hide in the stables, but Zeus had already noticed him and clapped his shoulder.

"Brother! How are you? Is my daughter behaving and carrying out her wifely duties?"

"She is not my dog, she can decide for her own, _brother_."

"Ah, yes, yes. Have you seen Aphrodite today? That girl looks simply ravishing, I might invite her to play with the thunder later."

All of the sudden, Hades' teeth _did_ hurt.

"Don't. Just...don't."

"You should really loosen up, you old spoilsport."

Hades clenched his teeth to not tell Zeus that he didn't want to hear any advice from a man who had raped his sister, impregnated her, then raped their child and impregnated her as well, a man whose daughter was also his niece and whose son was also his grandson and his grandnephew and his sister's grandson and grandnephew as well. Complicated, huh?

In the meanwhile, Persephone had been greeted by all the Gods her mother had never wanted her to meet. Aphrodite asked her nonchalantly about her sex life, Dionysus was already drunk and Apollo flirted with her. She thought she was going to die when Apollo offered her to show her all the kinky bed stuff Aphrodite told her about, when she suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Kore! I don't have you under my control for three months and you immediately turn into a partying, drinking whore?"

"Mother! First of all my name is Persephone, then I did not do that! I was just chatting with Aphrodite. Aren't you glad to see me again?"

"Of course I am! Come with me, my dear, away from the sinful influence. Let your poor mother spend as much time with you as possible until you go back to the darkness of the Underworld."

"I actually like it there, it's not as gloomy as you think. I have a beautiful garden that Hades made for me."

"Ah yes. Him. Where is he, anyway?"

"I don't know."

"So you didn't come here together? I'm so glad that he didn't manage to vex you again."

"Mother, stop it! I love Hades, we are very happy together and I don't care what you think about him. I enjoy every single day with him, he treats me like a queen and makes me happier than anybody else."

"If you say so..."

"Yes, I do. Not every man is evil, mother, even though you think so. Hades never did anything I didn't want and he treats me with love and respect."

Demeter sighed.

"I don't want to fight with you now. Why don't you come with me, Hestia and Artemis can't wait to see you again."

"Sure, why not."

Persephone followed her mother to the other two women who hugged her. Hestia was as kindhearted as always, Artemis seemed a bit piqued though.

"Is something wrong?", Persephone asked her when the older goddess eyed her critically.

"It's just...you are married now. I will never understand how women can do that, men are so...gross. They will force you into their bed and before you even know what happened, you're pregnant and have to go through the worst pain while giving birth."

Persephone felt the urge to facepalm. Were there any normal Gods? One group was always partying and whoring around and the other group consisted of pinched old virgins who hated men.

"Hades and me don't want children and he did not 'force me into his bed'. Can we please not talk about my husband all the time?"

"Yes of course, dear. How are you?", Hestia asked with true warmth in her eyes.

"I'm very well, thank you. I just developed a new flower that has a unique scent to it. What about you?"

"Ah, it's fine. There are the typical fights between the Olympians and I have to mediate, but that's nothing new."

Persephone nodded and sipped on her glass, glad about the meaningless chitchat.

Hades finally managed to get rid of his brother and went to search for his wife. She was with her mother and the Virgin Goddesses. Of course. He slowly approached and noticed that the closer he got, the colder Artemis's expression got as well. He hugged his wife from behind and kissed her hair, earning an indignant snort from Demeter. How very lovely. Persephone turned in his arms and smiled at him in such a warm way that he completely forgot about their surrounding for a few seconds. Demeter smiled sourly and nodded at him.

"Hello, brother."

"Demeter."

"Okay, before things get even more awkward, we should go and meet some other Gods. I haven't greeted Athene yet", Persephone muttered and pulled her husband away.

"Do you really want to meet Athene?", Hades asked as soon as they were around the next corner.

"No, but I rather spend the time with my husband than with my frustrated mother."

"I feel honoured...I guess."

Without even noticing, they strolled over to the stables. The horses whinnied as they entered and Hades started to smile, remembering the last time they had been here together.

"When I saw you for the first time, you were standing over there with Hestia."

"You spied on me?"

"Ah, I wouldn't say I spied on you. I was just fascinated by your beauty."

Persephone grinned and pulled him closer.

"That's a lovely way to put it, my dear. And who would have thought that we would be here together one day?"

She reached up to place a peck on his lips, but Hades wrapped his arms around her and slowly moved back until they reached an empty box. He grinned smugly, an expression only few people had ever seen. Persephone chuckled as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"You can't be serious."

"About making out with my wife in the stables while we're attending the Winter Solstice? I totally am."

"But what if someone comes in."

"We are married."

He grinned and started to kiss her neck. Persephone wanted to protest, but when he sucked a mark into her neck, she gave up and just enjoyed it. Who cared if anyone saw them anyway? For now, all she could concentrate on were Hades' lips on her skin.

Thirty minutes later the two of them left the stables, holding hands and smiling stupidly. The other Gods had gathered for one of Zeus' glorious speeches and they joined them as unobtrusively as possible. Aphrodite looked up when they arrived and grinned knowingly, she probably had a sixth sense for love. Especially physical love.

"And now, my dear friends and relatives, dance and enjoy the evening!", Zeus ended his speech and applauded himself. The Muses started playing a slow song and Hades turned to his wife, kissing her hand.

"Do you want to dance, dear?"

"Yes...but I'm not good at classical dancing...I only know how to hop around with the nymphs."

Without answering, Hades lifted her onto his feet, his arms safely around her waist. He pulled her close and kissed her hair while slowly moving to the music. He used to hate the Winter Solstice, but this year it really wasn't bad. Not bad at all…

Persephone leaned up and kissed him, her hands on his shoulders. Demeter watched them with pressed lips, but Hestia smiled softly. There was no denying, Persephone _was_ the true Queen of the Underworld and they were happier than any Godly couple she had ever seen.

 **27 million degrees Fahrenheit smile, do you get it? Huh? Huh? (It's the temperature of the sun). I hope you enjoyed it!**


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